First Love
by Zozma
Summary: ..High School AU.. A cold boy with a troubled past. A cheerful boy whose life has been lonely. A dark boy with no real family. A jealous love, shared by all three. ..SasuNaruGaa..
1. Abuse

**Chibi-Gaara**: Zozma does not own Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, or really much of anything.

**Me**: That is not true! I have a penny, an-and some lint, and this bottlecap! SEE!

**Chibi-Gaara**: Well, okay. Zozma owne a penny, some lint, and... -examines the bottle cap- A cap from a bottle of Green River. But she does not own the Naruto characters.

I warn you now that this is rated M for **slash, yaoi, lemon, blood, self-harm, and other dark elements**. If you're not looking for that, then go away! This is also an AU high school fic, and the characters will be slightly OOC. Like me! I don't have the urge to kill as much anymore...

* * *

Gaara looked down at the knife he was holding against his arm, then closed his eyes, listening to his father shout at Temari. It was always either him, or his sister who beared the full brunt of his father's drunken rage. It was no secret that their father drank. Everybody knew it, and they also knew how he beat his children. They let it go on, though. They didn't care if one of them wound up dead. They didn't care if the entire family was murdered. It would just be so much easier for them, then. 

Everyone hated and feared Gaara. They didn't hide it. Anybody connected to the redheaded demon was hated as well. That was no secret either. They sneered, they glared, they whispered behind Gaara's back. Sometimes they didn't even bother whispering. But that was okay. Gaara was used to it. They didn't try to hurt him because they knew he would hurt them back, and hurt them a lot worse. Naruto sometimes turned up with a few scratches, but he was a strong boy, and Gaara didn't have to take care of his assailants.

Naruto… the blonde boy was Gaara's only true friend. He was energetic, he was friendly, and he was open – Gaara's complete opposite. The redhead sighed, wondering what Naruto was going to say when he saw the cuts on his arm. His grip on the knife loosened. Was it really worth it…?

"AND ANOTHER THING, YOU WORTHLESS SLUT! IF I EVER CATCH YOU WITH SHIKAMARU AGAIN YOU ARE _DEAD!_" Gaara voiced a small whimper, hearing his father threaten his sister. He pressed the knife harder onto his arm, his grip tightening once more.

"Yes, father," Temari said. The sheer amount of helpless loathing in her voice made Gaara feel like crying. He dragged the knife down his arm, neatly parting the skin. Pain blistered into his mind, a brilliant white line sizzling across the inside of his eyelids. He gasped, then let out his breath slowly. It felt so good to bleed…

He lay down on his bed, the light inside his room dim enough. He switched hands, wincing and hissing a little at the pain in his wounded arm. He quickly drew another harsh cut across his other arm, then dropped the knife off of the edge of the bed. He squoze his eyes shut tightly, the pain burning in his arms. Gaara moaned quietly, drawing the wounded limbs up to his chest and pressing them against the black shirt he was wearing. He moaned again when he heard Temari tromp up the stairs to their room. He quickly pulled his blanket up to his neck, turning away and curling up. He couldn't let his sister see him like this.

"Gaara?" she asked quietly as she opened the door, light from the hallway falling across the floor and her bed in a thin strip. "Are you sleeping?"

Gaara kept silent, not even shifting. He felt guilty for the cuts on his arms, and also for the sleeping pills he was supposed to take but didn't. He was afraid to go to sleep. He always had horrific nightmares about a giant monster, killing people. He dimly associated those horrific dreams with the voice he heard inside his mind sometimes. That voice was so cold, so cruel, so… monstrous. He had woke up from his nightmares one time and then had just known that the voice in his head, the cold evil voice he called Shukaku, was the monster in his dreams. He hated that voice for the things it said, and for the things it wanted to do to his only friend, Naruto.

"Gaara, I'm sorry," Temari said, sitting on the edge of the bed and stroking the boy's longish, blood red hair. "I'm sorry Dad hates us so much. I just want you to know that I still love you." Hearing her say that made his heart break a little more. He regretted the wounds on his arms even more, wishing he didn't hurt himself like that so much. The edges of his vision grew dark, and he dimly realized he was still bleeding. _That's going to have to stop soon,_ he thought vaguely, _or I'm going to…_ He was unable to complete that thought, passing out as Temari gently stroked his hair.


	2. Meeting

Second chapter up so soon? Oh yes.

**Chibi-Gaara**: Sasuke, get off!

**Chibi-Sasuke**: -humps Chibi-Gaara- UNF!

**Me**: Goodness!

Don't own, don't sue!

* * *

Gaara woke up and winced as he pulled his arms away from his chest, the dried blood having stuck them to his shirt. He sighed and got up, feeling the low ache in his arms from the deep, self-inflicted wounds there. Her shook his head, then peeled his bloody shirt off, heading for the bathroom. He knocked, then opened the door when there was no answer. Shutting it behind him, Gaara undressed all the way, then stepped into the shower and turned the hot water on all the way. Wincing again as they burning hot water stuck his skin, he stood under the stream for a moment, then began to gingerly clean his wounded forearms.

When all the blood was washed off, he turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, toweling off and then going back into his room, hunting through his dresser and pulling out a long-sleeved, tight black shirt that said AFI in white across the chest, and a tight pair of black jeans. _I guess it's emo day_, Gaara thought, smiling a tiny bit. He dressed, then grabbed his eyeliner pencil and went back into the bathroom, applying it thickly. He sighed and ran his fingertips over the old, red tattoo on his head. _So I would always have love…_The red head shook his head, then left the bathroom, setting his eyeliner pencil on his dresser.

He put on a pair of black and white striped knee high stockings, then looked around for his black, ratty, high-toped Converse. _Christ, the only thing I'm missing is black hair and the glasses,_ Gaara thought, shaking his head and putting his shoes on. Slinging his messenger bag over his shoulder, he studied himself in the mirror for a minute, then sighed and went down the stairs and out the door, not stopping to eat breakfast since his father was there. He could feel the man's cold glare on his back, so he hastened his pace and was soon down the road, away from the window his father was watching from.

A few moments later, a large orange blur slammed into Gaara, wrapping its arms around him. "Nnh! Hello, Naruto," Gaara said, wincing as the younger boy pinned his wounded arms to his sides, the wounds beginning to throb again.

"GAARA!" Naruto shouted, grinning and releasing him. His wide grin faded as he saw Gaara's look of pain. "Gaara, what's wrong?" His eyes widened as he realized what it was. "Oh no… you didn't!"

Gaara looked away, guilt boiling up inside him. Naruto hugged his friend close once more, but gently this time. "Was it your dad?"

Gaara nodded, and Naruto shook his head. "You have to stop letting him get to you like that. You don't have to take his crap."

"He was yelling at Temari," Gaara said quietly, taking Naruto's hand. "I couldn't help it. He yelled at me for a moment, and then he turned to Temari… he said that if he ever caught her and Shikamaru together he'd-" He stopped, shaking his head hard. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay, Gaara," Naruto said, gently squeezing his best friend's hand. "You don't have to if you don't want to." The blonde knew the story, anyways. His dad went out, got drunk, and came home angry. It was a wonder Gaara wasn't all beat up. Naruto wondered if Temari was alright. He sighed, wishing he could just take Gaara away from his father.

He loved the redhead. He really, honestly loved him. Naruto had always known that, on some level. There was just something about him that drew Naruto in. The way he moved, the way he spoke, the way he seemed so vulnerable…

(FLASHBACK)

"Hi! My name is Naruto!"

"…"

"Do you want to be friends?"

"…No."

"Why not?"

"…I just don't."

"I want to be your friend."

"…No you don't."

"I do!"

"…Why?"

"Do I need a reason?"

"…"

"So can we be friends?"

"…Sure."

(END FLASHBACK)

The way he had seemed so cold and distant, so unwilling to believe somebody wanted to be his friend… it just called out to Naruto. He had worn the boy down and got him to open up, sure enough. It had been hard, though. He had been so quiet, so unwilling to talk. It confused Naruto, but interested him. Slowly he came to realize that he didn't just like his new friend. He realized he had come to love him. Cold, distant Gaara who seemed so hard on the outside but was really just soft and vulnerable on the inside. Gaara could be hard and cruel, but he could also be unbelievably sweet. He had bought Naruto a cute little stuffed fox for his thirteenth birthday, and although Naruto would NEVER admit it, not in a million years, he still slept cuddled up to the toy.

Yes, he loved Gaara, though he could never tell him. He wondered if Gaara was gay. It was either that, or he just wasn't attracted to anyone. He never really looked at girls, but then again, he never really looked at anyone. It would be so simple to find out. _Just lean over and kiss him…_ he thought, then mentally shook his head. _I can't. It would end out friendship._ He found himself starting to lean towards Gaara, nonetheless.

"Naruto?" Gaara asked, stopping and looking at him, bringing Naruto out of his daze.

"Huh?" Naruto asked, blushing a little. He couldn't believe he had been thinking of kissing his best friend.

"You were staring at me. And we're here," Gaara said, looking towards the large school building.

"Oh," Naruto said, letting go of Gaara's hand and walking through the gates, the shunned redhead trailing behind him.

---TIMESKIP---

Gaara sat beside Naruto in his first period class, hunched over his desk, working intently on his drawing. It was the giant, badger like monster from his nightmares: Shukaku, the demon. He drew whatever was on his mind, and the nightmare he'd had last night was heavily on his mind. The demon was ripping somebody in half with his claws. There was blood spraying everywhere.

"Class, I have an announcement to make," their teacher, Iruka, said, standing at the front of the class. "I'd like you all to welcome Uchiha Sasuke to our class."

Gaara looked up as Naruto abruptly stopped leaning back in his chair, all four legs coming to rest on the ground with a bang. "Sa… Sasuke?" he heard Naruto whisper in wonder. Gaara frowned, then looked to the front of the classroom. He felt the jealousy drain from him like water, as he looked at the beautiful, pale, raven-haired boy standing next to their teacher.

The boy was wearing a dark blue, high collared, open jacket over a tight black shirt and tight black pants. Gaara was stricken by the way he boredly surveyed the class. His eyes stopped at Naruto, then widened a little. He then smirked, and walked up the aisle to them. "Naruto. Long time, no see," he said, and Gaara felt himself blush a little at the warmth the new boy's voice caused in him. Gaara brought his cold, emotionless mask up again, and the blush faded from his pale face.

"Sasuke!" Naruto said, throwing his arms around the dark-haired boy's waist. Gaara felt another harsh stab of jealousy, and he glared at the newcomer. His glare intensified when Sasuke hugged Naruto back.

"How have you been?" Sasuke asked, smirking over Naruto at Gaara. "And who is this?"

"I've been good, and that's Gaara," the blonde grinned, putting an arm around his friend. "I missed you a whole lot!"

"I know," Sasuke said, taking a seat next to his old friend. "Gaara, huh…" He smirked at him again. "When did you move here?"

Gaara just glared at him, then went back to his drawing. The figure being ripped apart took on the new boy's hair and clothes.

"Sorry about him, Sasuke," Naruto said, and Gaara stopped for a moment. _Sorry about me?_ he thought, a bit hurt. _Since when is Naruto sorry about me?_

"He doesn't talk to much of anybody, really. Just me. He's my best friend." Gaara resumed his drawing, smiling a little. _It was nothing to worry about. Good…_

"Oh," Sasuke said, and Gaara smiled a bit wider, hearing the hurt in his voice. _Yeah. He's my best friend now. Not yours,_ he thought, with malicious pleasure.

"You're my best friend too, teme!" Naruto said, and Gaara's smile faltered a little. _Well, damn._

"Humph," was Sasuke's reply. Iruka began class, and Gaara stuck his drawing in his binder.

---TIMESKIP---

"So, Gaara," Sasuke said, leaning against the tree the redhead was sitting under. Naruto had gone to buy them lunches.

"…What?" Gaara asked, not looking up. He was staring at the ground, not really focusing on anything in particular.

"Are you and Naruto… together?" Gaara looked up sharply, glaring at the dark haired boy. Gaara's glare hardened when he noticed the boy was smirking down at him.

"…Why?" Gaara asked, his voice cold, belying the anger he felt.

"Just answer me," Sasuke said, his smirk widening.

"…No," Gaara said, then went back to glaring at the ground.

"No what?" Sasuke asked.

"No, we are not together. What are you, stupid?" Gaara growled, his glare intensifying.

"So you're single," Sasuke mused. Gaara merely grunted assent. "In that case, do you want to get together and do something later?"

Gaara's eyes widened as he looked up at Sasuke, surprised. He hardly even knew him! He put the mask back, up, looking back at the ground, keeping his silence.

"Well?" Sasuke persisted, smirking even wider.

"…No," Gaara said, feeling himself start to blush.

"Aww, why?" was the plaintive response.

"…I don't even know you." He stood up and began walking to the lunchroom to see what was taking Naruto so long, leaving a glaring and disheartened Sasuke behind him.

_This is going to take a while,_ Sasuke thought, _but I'll get him._

_

* * *

_

This is an AU fic. No jinchuuruki. No ninjutsu. I thought that was understood, but apparently not.


	3. Advances

Chapter three. Let's see if I can make this one as good as the other two have supposedly been.

**Chibi-Sasuke**: -tackles Chibi-Gaara and begins to vigorously hump him- UNF!

**Chibi-Gaara**: G… GET OFFA ME! –tries to pull away but fails-

**Chibi-Naruto**: Now if she owned us, wouldn't that happen in the show, or at least in the manga?

**Me**: Damn straight. But seeing as I don't own them, it shall only happen here.

**Chibi-Gaara**: Ooh… yeah, right there…

**Chibi-Naruto**: OI! STOP THAT!

**Me**: -.-;;

* * *

Sasuke watched Gaara as he slowly ate his lunch, which consisted of a piece of bread and some ramen. His own lunch sat beside him, forgotten as he watched the redhead, mesmerized by his beauty. Gaara stopped, and glanced over at the ebony-haired boy.

"What?" Gaara asked, a little pettishly. Sasuke may be attractive, but he was sort of creeping Gaara out.

"Huh? Oh, nothing," Sasuke said, and if he hadn't been an Uchiha, he would have been blushing furiously. He picked up his own sandwich, sniffed it, then took a bite.

Gaara "humphed" then went back to eating. Naruto did not miss this exchange. He grinned widely, and said, "Ooh, what's going on between you two?"

"…Nothing," Gaara deadpanned, glaring at the blonde.

"Yeah… nothing," Sasuke said, closing his eyes and looking away.

"He REJECTED you, didn't he!" Naruto cawed, then began laughing uncontrollably. Gaara just glared at Naruto harder, then went back to eating his lunch.

Sasuke just shook his head and blushed a little. Naruto laughed even harder. "Sasuke, you dumbass! Gaara doesn't like ANYONE!"

"…That's not true," Gaara said, setting his lunch down, "and you know it." He gave Naruto a stern look, then slowly hugged the blonde. "I like you, Naruto. You're my best friend."

Naruto smiled and hugged the homicidal redhead back. "I like you too, Gaara!"

Gaara smiled back as he pulled away, and a harsh stab of jealousy struck Sasuke. _Why does Naruto get to have him?_ he thought, glaring at his old friend. _It's not fair…_

Gaara looked over at him, then looked confused for a moment. Sasuke closed his eyes and looked away. The redhead was surprised to find that he felt a little guilty for turning the dark haired boy down so suddenly. He wondered what Sasuke saw in him. _It's not like I'm attractive,_ he thought with a faint inward smile. _What else could he see in me? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I am close to Naruto._

He shook his head. _I'm thinking about this too much._ He stood up, dumped the remains of his lunch in the trash, then stalked off towards his locker. Naruto downed the rest of his food in record time, tossing it in the trash as he hurried to catch up with his friend, leaving Sasuke sitting by himself.

…_They just up and left me?_ Sasuke thought indignantly, blinking. He then stood, tossed his mostly uneaten lunch, and then stalked after them. _Jeez…_

---

Gaara sat by himself in the one class he didn't have with Naruto: art. Despite the lack of his buoyant blonde friend, it remained his favorite class. Everybody left him alone and he got to draw whatever he wanted. It was, in his eyes, the best class ever created.

He sat alone, at his usual table by the windows, intent on his drawing. It was of a rather familiar blonde boy, with angel wings and a fox tail and fox ears. He was wearing surprisingly little. Gaara knew what his body looked like from all the nights Gaara spent at Naruto's house. Over the course of 3 years, he'd gotten to see much of the boy's slim, yet well-muscled frame, and somehow they always wound up cuddled close together when he spent the night. He hadn't really thought about it. They were best friends; best friends did that sort of thing, right?

He smiled slightly as he sketched in the facial features, then jumped as somebody spoke. "Is that Naruto?"

Gaara looked up sharply, glaring at the black-haired boy who had sat next to him so silently he hadn't even noticed. The Uchiha looked evenly back at him until Gaara dropped his gaze back down to his picture. "…Yes."

"It's very nice," Sasuke said. Gaara didn't respond, filling in the details of the drawing's chest. Sasuke thought for a while, then asked, "Do you like him?"

"…Of course I like him," Gaara said, giving the other boy a look that clearly said, "Were you dropped on your head as a child?"

"No, I mean LIKE HIM, like him," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes. He was a bit frustrated with himself. Did he really just say "LIKE HIM like him"?

"…What?" Gaara asked, a bit puzzled. He didn't know what Sasuke was trying to ask, really. He liked Naruto. He liked Naruto a lot. He didn't know if there was another layer of liking to that.

"Are you gay?" Sasuke decided to ask instead. He figured it would be easier for the oxblood haired boy to answer, since he apparently didn't understand his other question.

"What!" Gaara asked, his eyes widening. _Why would Sasuke ask such a question? What does it matter, anyways? I don't know if I am or not. I mean, I've never really noticed girls and boys are mostly just jerks…_

"Are you gay?" the other boy repeated, a bit frustrated with Gaara now. "Do you like boys? Do you want to… you know. Have se-"

"I know what gay means," Gaara said, his tone scathing. "I… I just don't know if I am or not." He sighed and went back to his drawing, aware that people were listening. He didn't really care, though.

"Well, I know I am," Sasuke said, scooting a bit closer to Gaara. "Maybe I could help you find out." His hand wandered up to the older boy's knee, resting there. "Would you like that?" His hand slid a little bit higher.

Gaara blushed and pushed Sasuke away from him. "Stop," he mumbled, going back to his drawing. "I… I don't know."

"But I could help you find out," Sasuke purred, leaning closer to Gaara. "You would know for sure, then… what do you say? Just you and me, after school, at my place…"

"I…" Gaara began, then swallowed hard. He didn't know what to say to him. He didn't know what to feel about him. He felt like he didn't know anything anymore, since Sasuke was so close to him. He could feel the Uchiha's warm breath against his neck… "I don't know," he whispered.

"Just say yes," Sasuke whispered back, his lips very close to Gaara's ear. "Say yes, and I can show you how good it can feel… just one night is all I need." He then extended his tongue and licked the shell of Gaara's ear, causing the boy to shiver. Then something inside him changed. He then stood up and pushed Sasuke away.

"Don't touch me," he growled, "or I'll kill you." With that, he closed his sketchpad and jammed it in his bag, slinging it over his shoulder and leaving just as the bell rang, leaving a very bemused and bewildered Sasuke behind.

"_Don't touch me, or I'll… kill you"?_ Sasuke thought, blinking as he picked his stuff up. _What was that all about? I'll have to find out later. Maybe I'll ask him just to hang out at my place and I can take it from there. Maybe that would work…_ Sasuke continued formulating plans to get the redhead's pants off.


	4. What the hell?

**Chibi-Gaara**: -stumbles onscreen looking very disheveled and happy- Zozma… not own. Don't sue! –stumbles back off screen-

**Chibi-Sasuke**: Ooh, Gaara! -giggles-

**Me**: …Pretend you didn't hear that.

* * *

Gaara stared out the window as his teacher droned on about sines and cosines or something crazy like that. Gaara had stopped paying attention during math a LONG time ago; about when the numbers stopped making sense without any effort. Which was a rather long time ago. Naruto was sitting there, at least trying to pay attention, but his confused expression revealed the fact that he had no idea what was going on. Gaara sighed and put his head down, watching a bird make a nest. 

Suddenly, a twist of paper hit him in the forehead. He bolted up and looked around. Sasuke was over there, smirking. _Damn… why does he have to be in all my fucking classes?_ Gaara untwisted and unrolled the piece of paper, reading the message. "_Do you want to hang out sometime?" What the hell?_ Gaara took out a sheet of paper, scribbled his reply of _"No"_, then folded into a hasty paper football and flicked it back to Sasuke. It returned relatively quickly, and Gaara rolled his eyes at the message. _"But WHY?"_

"_Why do you care so much? Is it because I'm Naruto's friend?"_ he wrote back.

"_No, it's because I think you're cute."_

Gaara stared at the reply in shock. _Me? Cute? …He's just teasing me, like the girls at my old school. "Yeah, right. Tell me for real."_

"_That is why!"_ Sasuke wrote back with a smirk playing on his lips. _Doesn't he know he's beautiful?_

"_Don't lie to me."_ Gaara flicked it back at the ebony-haired youth, then sighed and began to sketch a picture of Sasuke, just for the hell of it. The note landed right in the middle of the drawing a couple minutes later. It read, _"I'm not teasing, Gaara. I'm serious. I think you're beautiful. I want to have you, but I'd be happy with having you as a friend, just so you would smile at me like you smile at Naruto. It drives me crazy how you two look at each other."_ Gaara read this over several times, then shook his head. _I…could at least give him a chance. He can't be all bad, can he?_

"_Alright," _was Gaara's simple response. He smirked as Sasuke emitted a very quiet, but distinctly audible, womanly squeal.

"_Great! When?" _Gaara smiled and shook his head. He glanced up at the clock, and then wrote his reply.

"_How about after school?"_ he replied, then began packing up. The bell rang a few minutes later, and Naruto emitted a loud, happy whoop.

"SCHOOL'S OVER!" he shouted as he leapt up, then made a mad dash for his locker.

"Naruto, wait!" Gaara called softly, reaching out to him. He then shook his head and waited for Sasuke, wondering what he was going to say.

"Hey," Sasuke said quietly, smiling a little and shuffling his feet. "Wh… What do you want to do?"

"I guess you could walk me home," Gaara said, not smiling at all. The cold, hard mask was back up, and Gaara stalked out of the room with Sasuke close behind. They met up with Naruto by his locker, and the blonde grinned widely.

"So you said yes?" Naruto laughed at Gaara's shocked expression. "Yes, I know! You two couldn't make it any more obvious!"

"…Yeah, I said yes," Gaara said quietly. "But he's just going to walk back to your place with us."

Sasuke looked at him curiously. _I'm going to walk him home, but he's going to Naruto's?_ He began to ask a question, but Naruto cut him off.

"Gaara doesn't consider his actual house his home because he…" Naruto looked over at Gaara, and the older one nodded.

"…My father," he said, looking over at Sasuke, "is a bastard son of a bitch. He hates me, Temari and Kankuro, my brother and sister. He hates me the most, though. He comes home drunk and shouts at us. Sometimes he beats me. It's worse when he yells at Temari." He shook his head, and continued. "I spend most of my time at Naruto's place. It's more of a home to me than my house is." He adjusted his bag and turned towards the doors. "Can we go soon? The place is emptying out. You know how I hate being in the school after everyone is gone." He looked down at the blue and white tiled floor, kicking at a stray piece of paper.

"Umm… yeah," Naruto said, jamming the last of his books into his pack and slinging it over one shoulder. "Let's get out of here!"

Sasuke just nodded mutely, a little shocked at Gaara's explanation for two reasons. For one, it was the most the cold, uncaring boy had said in front of him yet. For two, Sasuke was shocked and hurt that the beautiful boy that was Gaara's father could ever lay a hand on him. He felt anger and hatred bubble up in his soul, and he shifted his backpack from one shoulder to both. _If Gaara ever comes to school hurt from his father,_ he thought, _I'll kill that no-account father of his. I swear it._

---

"Here we are!" Naruto chirped, throwing his door open and dropping his backpack next to the door. Naruto lived with his uncle, Jiraiya, who wrote erotic fiction novels. He spent most of his time away from the house, checking up on Naruto every once in a while, but mostly the blonde had the house to himself. As a result it was cluttered, messy, and hardly ever got picked up.

Gaara followed inside, dropping his pack right next to Naruto's. The way to the house had been quiet and uneventful. Sasuke stood outside their door, shuffling his feet awkwardly, unsure of what to do next. Gaara turned and looked at the dark haired boy. "Are you coming inside?" he asked after a moment, and Sasuke hurried inside. He looked around, then set his pack next to Naruto and Gaara's.

Naruto quickly began to prepare three cups of instant ramen and set some water on to boil. "Okay… after school snack preparation, engage!" He took a flying leap onto his ratty old orange couch, causing it to bang against the wall and knock one corner of his Battlestar Galactica poster down.

Sasuke smirked at the fact that he had a Battlestar Galactica poster, then took a look around the large, open living room. The walls were covered in posters of old sci-fi movies, old B-movies, and video games. "What…?" he asked quietly.

"…Naruto is a complete and utter geek. I think the only reason he does so poorly in school is because all his brain capacity is occupied with storing all the useless trivia from sci-fi movies," Gaara said, plopping down next to the blonde in question and turning the TV on.

"I am not a geek!" Naruto growled, glaring at his friend.

"You are too," he retorted boredly, "now shut up. Tom and Jerry is on."

Sasuke sat next to him. The couch they were sitting on was rather small, and so the three of them had to press together a little. The Uchiha was painfully aware of how close to Gaara he was. He bit his lip and tried to focus on the television screen. A few moments later, Gaara erupted into low laughter, grinning madly. "Yeah, hey fuck you cat!" he said to the TV, and Naruto replied.

"Hey, hey fock joo mang!" Both Gaara and Naruto began laughing harder, and Sasuke couldn't help but smile. Gaara was so adorable when he laughed, smiling like that… Naruto jumped up. "Water's boiling!" he announced, then bustled off to the kitchen to prepare their ramen. Sasuke smiled as Gaara stayed right where he was, pressed up against Sasuke.

_He smells so good,_ Gaara thought, repressing a dreamy smile. _Wait, what? Why am I still so close to him?_ He debated whether to move over, but Spike had just started to beat the crap out of Tom on the TV. Gaara began laughing harder than before, and Sasuke made his move.

In a flash, Sasuke had Gaara pinned down onto the couch, his hands on the older boy's shoulders. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and kissed the red haired boy. Gaara's eyes flew wide open and for a second he stayed right where he was. Then he closed his eyes and shoved Sasuke away as hard as he could, sitting up and glaring icily at the other boy.

"What. The. Fuck," Gaara growled dangerously, and Sasuke felt his blood run cold. He was flat on his back on the floor, one leg over the arm of the couch. He scooted back against the wall and sat up.

"G…Gaara, I…" he began, then stopped, unable to continue. He swallowed hard and stared at the boy. Gaara made a move towards him, but Naruto came in carrying their food.

"Food time!" Naruto chimed, then stopped and looked at the two, observing Gaara's fierce glare and Sasuke's terrified expression. Naruto smiled and shook his head, setting their cups of ramen down on the table. "You tried to kiss him, then?"

Sasuke jumped and stood up, sitting down on the couch next to Naruto. "Buh… But how…?"

Naruto just smirked and began eating at top speed. Gaara snorted quietly and picked his own food up, stirring it around with the fork Naruto had stuck into it. Sasuke bit his lip and slowly picked his cup of ramen up, staring at the TV. _What the hell…why did I do that? Gaara's going to KILL me._

---

About 20 minutes later, Sasuke thanked Naruto for the ramen, grabbed his backpack, and made a hasty retreat. He was about halfway down the road when Gaara spoke to him.

"…Hey," he said, and Sasuke whirled around, his heart beginning to pound. He was leaning out the door looking at Sasuke, and to his relief he didn't look murderous. He hopped down the stairs and padded over to Sasuke, and the darker haired boy took a half-step back.

"Gaara," he gasped, and his eyes shot open when he felt the slim boy's hands on his shoulders. He could feel Gaara's breath on his lips, and Sasuke shut his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Gaara mumbled, and then his lips were covering Sasuke's. He felt the younger one stiffen, then relax slowly, his hands wandering up to Gaara's hips. Gaara pulled away and smiled. "You… startled me earlier," he explained. "If I hurt you… I'm sorry for that too." He backed away a couple of steps, leaving the Uchiha standing there, blushing and looking very much surprised. "I'll see you around." With that, he turned and padded back up the stairs, vanishing back inside the brightly painted house.

Sasuke looked after him for a few moments, then turned and ran. _What the hell?_

_

* * *

_

Well, there you have it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

**Chibi-Sasuke**: Ooh, Gaara's so mysterious!

**Me**: You mean crazy.

**Chibi-Gaara**: I AM NOT CRAZY! HOU DAR U

**Me**: I rest my case.


	5. Abducted

Thanks for the reviews, guys! Detailed responses at the end of this chapter!

Chibi-Sasuke: -weeps- I MISS MAH MOMMY!

Chibi-Gaara: Aww! -cuddles- There, there.

Me: … -resists the urge to go "AWWW!"-

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Sasuke lay back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He heard his brother shuffling around in the kitchen and sighed. Ever since he had returned, Itachi had been nothing but sickeningly nice. Maybe he was trying to make up for letting him go… He sighed when he remembered the circumstances of his departure.

_(Flashback)_

"_Mr. Uchiha?"_

"_Yes?" He had answered the phone, expecting a call from his parents, or even just Itachi. They'd been gone for so long. Sasuke was beginning to worry._

"_This is Michael Donnovan, from the police department. I'm afraid we have some bad news about your parents," the voice on the line said, and Sasuke grew cold, fear immediately blooming into his heart. "There was a terrible accident…the train they were in jumped the tracks. Apparently they were on the way back with some relatives of yours; cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents… They were all killed. The only one who survived was your older brother."_

_Sasuke just stared at the wall, the phone held up to his ear. He couldn't breathe. He felt like he was frozen solid. "Wh…?" he breathed, and collapsed onto the couch. "Wha…?"_

"_We're very sorry, Mr. Uchiha. I'm afraid that there was nothing we could do," the man said. He continued speaking, but Sasuke didn't hear. He lowered the phone from his ear, hung up, then slowly brought his knees to his chest._

"_Ma…" he whispered, tears beginning to stream down his face. "Ma…!"_

_(New Scene)_

_Sasuke sat at the lunch table, his head down. Naruto awkwardly patted his back. "Sasuke, what happened?"_

_The dark-haired boy just shook his head, feeling his shoulders beginning to quake. He fiercely bit down on his lip, closing his eyes. _I will not cry!_ he told himself fiercely._

_A shadow fell over the boys, and Sasuke looked up. A tall, black haired man stood in front of them. "Uchiha Sasuke?" he asked, in a slightly effeminate voice. The young Uchiha nodded, and he smiled. "My name is Orochimaru. I'd like you to come with me. It's about your parents."_

_Sasuke stood slowly and followed the man, Naruto looking after him warily. The black-haired boy gave a slight wave to his friend, not knowing that was the last time he would see the blonde in three years._

(End Flashback)

Sasuke shook his head violently. _I don't need to be thinking about that snake fucker right now,_ he thought. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, sitting up. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. His thoughts had been wandering back to the tall, scary man a lot ever since he returned.

The black-haired boy shook his head and stood up as his brother called to him through the ceiling. "Otouto! Supper time!"

Sasuke smiled and yelled back to him. "Coming, Aniki!" He sighed inwardly, wondering what crazy kind of food his older brother had concocted this time.

---

"So, Otouto, did anything interesting happen today?" Itachi asked with a slight smile. His eyes had dark circles around them, and he was shivering a little. Sasuke sighed, thinking of how his dear older brother had begun to shoot heroin shortly after he'd been kidnapped, though that wasn't exactly the word. He had gone with the man, but had been kept against his will. But some part of him liked the way the snake man had treated him…

"Otouto?" Itachi asked again, gently poking Sasuke in the shoulder.

"Huh!" Sasuke said, blinking and looking over at his brother. "What? Oh, sorry." He shook his head then smiled a little. "I met a boy."

"Ooh, do tell," Itachi said, smiling as he put some scrambled eggs and ham on his plate. The eggs were green with chopped up ham in them; green eggs and ham.

"Well, he has red hair and green eyes," he said lamely, poking at his own eggs with a fork. "His name is Gaara. He-"

Itachi choked on the bite of eggs and ham he had swallowed, then gasped. "Guh… Gaara!" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Huh? Yeah, Gaara. Sabakuno Gaara. Is something wrong?" Sasuke asked, cocking one eyebrow at his brother.

The older Uchiha cleared his throat and shook his head fiercely, closing his black eyes. "No. But I've heard of him," he said, his dark eyes opening and staring at his brother. Sasuke looked evenly back, his dark eyes gleaming with suspicion. "I heard that he murdered his uncle..." Sasuke's eyes widened, then he shook his head.

"No, Aniki," he said. "Gaara may be a bit intimidating, but… he wouldn't kill anybody." _Would he?_

"That's just what I heard," Itachi said, picking his fork back up and resuming his meal. "I didn't say it was true. All I really know about him is that he has an older brother and sister, he's Naruto's best friend, and that his father doesn't care much for any of them."

Sasuke just poked at his food for a while. After a few minutes, he stood up and said, "I'm sorry. I'm just not very hungry tonight. I'm going to bed." He turned and padded upstairs as Itachi pulled his plate over beside his own. He lay down on his bed, closing his eyes, and he dreamt of Orochimaru.

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REVIEW RESPONSE TIME!

Sabaku no Emi: Thanks!

Sakura Shoizu: Wait and see, my friend. (Chibi-Gaara: -whispers- That means she hasn't figured it out yet.) Hey, shut up!

Makeout Kid: Thanks.

hangoverhobbykit: I'm glad you think it's well written. Thank you!

Fangz of Fire: Haha, thanks! A lot of people say that my writing is good. Usually the only complaints they have are with how OOC my characters are! –sweatdrops- SasuGaa is pretty hot. I don't know what exactly I'm going to do with this story, but… neh. I'll write what comes to mind.


	6. Naruto's Big Dream

Chibi-Naruto: Zzzzz… oh yeah… Sasuke-kun…zzzzz…

Chibi-Sasuke: -sweatdrops- Wass der fooken?

Me: You'll see! Nice made-up German, by the way…

Chibi-Naruto: Zzz… ohh yeaahh… -moans- zzzzz…

Chibi-Sasuke: -triple sweatdrops- This chapter… filthy smut. -holds up a lemon- Get it?

Wet dreams are fun to write.

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Naruto pushed the slender, alabaster skinned, dark haired Uchiha down onto the bed, smirking evilly. "Sasuke," he said, his voice husky with lust. His azure eyes sparkled wickedly as his long fingers stroked his lust-object's chest. He felt the boy shiver, and his smirk widened into a full-fledged evil smile. "Sasuke," the blonde one said again, and then brought his lips crashing down onto Sasuke's.

Sasuke moaned into Naruto's lips, his erection growing painful. He shivered again and parted his lips for the fair-haired one's tongue. Naruto ran the strong muscle over the roof of his soon-to-be lover's mouth, his hand traveling down Sasuke's bare, well-toned yet slender chest and coming to rest on his stomach. Sasuke shyly wrapped his arms around the dominant one's torso, his eyes slowly closing.

Exploring the moist, inviting cavern of Sasuke's mouth with his tongue, Naruto undid Sasuke's tight, black jeans and slid them down. He slowly pulled away from the svelte, pale boy, his mouth hanging open slightly as he panted. His old rival, the heir to the Uchiha clan, Sasuke, was looking up at him in an expression that just screamed "fuck me now". Naruto was more than happy to oblige.

He took his pants off quickly, kicking them away and smiling wickedly once more. He wasn't wearing underwear for this special occasion. Sasuke gasped quietly, and let out a small, mewling moan as he saw Naruto fully naked. He quickly pushed his boxers down and Naruto pulled them off the rest of the way. Kneeling in between his legs and stretching across his body, one hand resting on his smooth hip, the other resting on his chest, the tan Seme brushed his lips across Sasuke's, making him make small, needy noises and lift his body up into Naruto's touch.

"Na…Naruto," he managed in a whispery voice, his hands resting on his shoulders. Sasuke was trembling with need and want and lust. He didn't know if he could stand it much longer. "Naruto…" he repeated, a bit louder. Naruto smiled and pressed his lips against Sasuke's briefly, but gently, and pulled back, positioning himself at Sasuke's entrance.

"Do you want it?" Naruto asked, his hand sliding down to Sasuke's engorged cock. The ebony-haired boy let out a sighing moan and arched his back, raising his hips a little. Naruto gently brushed a fingertip up Sasuke's erection and the boy made another needy moan. "Answer me," he whispered.

"N…No," he managed, opening his eyes and looking at Naruto. He was blushing slightly, and Naruto barely repressed a shiver. "I… I don't want it… I need it," Sasuke growled, and Naruto smirked.

"Then who am I to deny it?" he asked, pushing into Sasuke's tight hole without preparing him hardly at all. The fair-skinned uke let out a high, moaning cry, then another and another as Naruto pushed all the way in. Naruto slowly closed his eyes, letting out a long, low moan. He stayed inside Sasuke for a moment, letting him adjust to the feeling of his cock inside him, then pulled out just as slowly.

"Na…Naruto," Sasuke moaned as the blonde wrapped a hand around his hard member, stroking slowly. "Naa...ruu…to…" He shivered hard, tightening around his Seme. Naruto let out a shaky moan, thrusting into his new lover, a bit faster. Naruto grunted as Sasuke bucked his hips shyly. He let out a small moan and began to thrust faster. The dark haired boy threw his head back, closed his eyes, and moaned. He didn't know how long he could last…

Naruto's grip on his cock tightened a little as he still stroked just as slowly, fucking the Uchiha harder. He was on the verge of losing it. He was… he was gonna… "S… SASUKE!"

Naruto woke up with the name of his old friend lingering on his lips. He grunted as he pushed himself up, suddenly acutely aware of what he had been dreaming. _What… what was that?_ he asked himself.

**_You just had your first wet dream_**, a hard, raspy growl answered him, and Naruto jumped a little. **_What, forgot about me?_**

Naruto sighed. _No, Kyuubi, I didn't forget about you. But what's a…wet dream?_

**_Oh for the love of_**, the Kyuubi growled, and sighed. **_It's the kind of dream you just had. Where you dream about fucking someone._**

_Oh…_Naruto said quietly. _But… WAIT! I DREAMT ABOUT SASUKE!_

**_I'm not surprised_**, the demon said with a chuckle. **_That Sasuke is one hot little number. Rawr…_**

_Guh! WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!_

**_Uh… that I think Sasuke is attractive?_** The fox demon said with a roll of its eyes. **_Don't act so surprised. Besides, you do too._**

_NO I DON'T! _Naruto protested loudly.

**_Uh-huh. Your hard-on sort of betrays that sentiment_**, the Kyuubi said, and Naruto blushed heavily. **_Checkmate._**

_Sh…Shut up,_ Naruto said, climbing out of bed and trying to ignore his stiffened member. _I don't like Sasuke… do I?_

_---_

Naruto walked down the road, looking out for his red headed friend. He wondered if his dad had been mad about how late he'd been, getting home. He spotted the shock of red hair and grinned, dashing up to his best friend. "GAARA!" he shouted, tackling the surprised boy to the ground and hugging him tight,

"Naruto," Gaara said with a smile, hugging back. He was used to being hit by the tan freight train that was Naruto. He was in a good mood; he had a new boyfriend, his father had forgotten he existed, and Temari had made eggs for breakfast. The morning had gone well so far. He closed his eyes and inhaled the clean scent of his best friend's hair.

The blonde squoze his friend tightly, then let go, smiling down at him. He didn't think anything of their position until Gaara shifted under him and their crotches bumped together. He blushed lightly and stood up, pulling Gaara up with him. Gaara seemed oblivious of the fact that almost everything was turning him on today. He studied his psychotic pal, taking him in.

He was wearing a black shirt with white sleeves that said "The Clash" across the chest, and a pair of tight, black and red jeans with his old black converse… and then he took something out of his messenger bag. It was a white beanie with black ears and eyes… a panda hat!

Gaara put the adorable hat on with a sigh. He glared at Naruto, who was desperately trying to stifle his wild laughter. "Temari is making me wear it," he said, crossing his arms. Naruto began to giggle and Gaara glared at him harder. "It isn't funny!"

"Yes it is," came a cool voice from behind them, and they both spun around, coming face-to-face with Sasuke. He smiled at Gaara. "Hey."

Naruto stared at the Uchiha for a moment, blushing and remembering his dream. He blushed deeper when he realized he was beginning to get hard again. He spun around quickly, muttering something that sounded like "bastard" and crossed his arms. Gaara merely nodded at Sasuke and turned around, beginning to walk. Naruto and Sasuke fell into stride on either side of him, and the red head took Sasuke's hand, entwining their fingers. Sasuke looked over at Gaara, a little surprised, and then smiled. They walked all the way to school like that.

_--------------------------------------_

Did you enjoy reading that as much as I did writing it? I sure hope so. Reviews will be read and responded to by Chibi-Itachi! Take it away, Ita-chan!

Chibi-Itachi: Do I have to wear the bunny slippers?

Yes.

Chibi-Itachi: Bitch…

Okay, let's see, the first one… Sakura Shoizu…YOU! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO PUT ME IN THESE SLIPPERS! SAKURA SHOIZU! DIE!

Itachi, chill.

Chibi-Itachi: Hmph. Next one is from J-RockGirl… -sighs- I hope you liked this chapter.

Next is… Makeout Kid. Don't touch me. Please.

That does it for reviews. Tune in next time!


	7. Eager

Lemon addiction alert, I think we may have a problem.

Chibi-Gaara: Speak for yourself! -pulls his shirt off and tackles Chibi-Sasuke- WOO!

Chibi-Sasuke: OHMIGAWD! -falls down- o.o;

Chibi-Gaara: UNF!

Me: …Oh my! Uh, ah, LOOK AWAY! -shoves the camera away and it falls over- Shit. Oh yeah, since I forgot the disclaimer a few times (WHY DID YOU NOT REMIND ME, CONSTANT READER!), here it is. Don't own, don't sue.

------------------------------------

Gaara sighed, watching the clock intently. _Lunchtime_(1)_. Lunchtime. Lunchtime. Come ON! BE LUNCHTIME ALREADY! _He glared at the offending timepiece and sighed. _I'm hungry…_He shook his head and returned to his doodle of their bald, slightly frightening teacher. He had a squid attached to his head, and the words in the speech-bubble read "SWEET ZOMBiE CHRiST iTS EATiN MY BRAiN". The redhead sighed and glared up at the clock again.

A small snort of laughter came from beside him, and he looked over at Naruto. The blonde had a hand over his mouth and was repressing a fit of giggles. Apparently he had looked down at his little doodle. Gaara smiled slightly and turned the paper over. "First, draw an S(2), for snake," he whispered, and Naruto gave another snort of laughter. Gaara did in fact draw an S, knowing that the rest of the instruction was unnecessary.

A few moments later, after adding all the majesty, Gaara's newest little doodle was complete. He sighed and made a little doodle of the silver-haired boy in front of him. He was just adding the glasses as the bell rang. Gaara flipped his binder open, tucked the page inside one of the pockets, stood up and headed for the door, carrying the 3-ring with him. The front was a mess of stickers, doodles, and other random things, the most prominent 'thing' being a large Panic! At The Disco sticker.

"Wait for me," came the low, sultry voice of Sasuke and Gaara turned halfway around, surveying him with cold eyes. He chided himself internally, telling himself not to keep the mask up around his new boyfriend, and made his look soften a bit. He even let the faintest of smiles grace his features. The younger boy picked his own binder up and followed Naruto and Sasuke out the door. The blonde avoided looking at Sasuke, still unable to figure out exactly what he felt for him. Sasuke frowned briefly, then looked over to Gaara. His eyebrows rose slightly and a smile ghosted across his own lips. Gaara took his hand, lacing their fingers again, and lead him towards the lockers.

---

"You're a pig, Gaara," Naruto said with a grin as he watched his redheaded friend cram cookies down his gullet. The psycho in question stopped for a moment, looked at Naruto, swallowed his mouthful of cookie and then belched loudly in his face. "Gaara!" Naruto exclaimed, his face contorting into a little moue of disgust. "That's gross!"

"Hmba mmf roo," Gaara said, spraying crumbs all over Naruto, then shoving another cookie into his mouth.

Sasuke watched this with slightly sickened interest. _Gaara is completely freaking nuts,_ he thought and smiled at Gaara's expression of dismay when he discovered he had devoured all of his cookies, which he had swiped from Naruto. He made a low, disappointed 'humm' then brushed all the crumbs off of his face. He looked over at Sasuke and glared slightly.

"…What?" he asked and Sasuke just shook his head, smirking. Gaara 'hmph'ed and crossed his arms across his chest. Sasuke continued to look at him, ignoring his own lunch.

As a rule, Sasuke didn't eat much. He rather liked the feeling of emptiness inside him, thinking it was perfect for someone like him. Someone tainted by darkness. Someone impure. But he didn't think Gaara should replicate his eating habits. "Was that all you're going to eat?" he asked, his smirk widening.

"…Yes, _mother_," Gaara growled, his head tilted down and away from the darker haired boy.

Sasuke sighed and picked his own lunch up, examining it. It was a green egg and ham sandwich. _Itachi makes some interesting food sometimes_, he thought, looking over at Gaara. "You really should eat more." He pulled the sandwich in half and held one part out to him. "Here."

Gaara took it and looked at it for a moment. "…These eggs are green," he observed, and Sasuke smiled.

"Yeah. My brother made green eggs and half for dinner last night. He's an… interesting chef," he said, taking a bite of his own half to encourage his boyfriend.

Gaara looked down at it for a moment, then took a tentative bite. His eyes widened a little. _OMG I taste ham!_ He began to rapidly eat, the growling emptiness inside his stomach welcoming the much-needed nourishment. Sasuke chuckled and took another bite, eating a lot slower than Gaara.

"Hmm," Gaara sighed, looking thoughtful for a moment. _Thirsty now._ He looked over at Naruto and smirked, stealing his juice box while he was occupied with his food. The blonde reached down to grab it and then looked down when he didn't feel it. He then looked up at Gaara, who was currently drinking the juice.

"M…My juice!" Naruto squeaked in horror, and Gaara just smirked, the straw making an empty sucking noise. He handed the empty container back to Naruto, and Sasuke thought, _That's fast…I wonder if he sucks that good on other things._ He smirked and shook his head, taking another bite of his half a sandwich.

---

"…What do you want, Kabuto?" Gaara growled at the whitish-silver haired boy standing in front of him. The older boy and his two lackeys, Dosu and Zaku, stood in front of Sasuke and Gaara. Naruto had excused himself and run home by himself, and they were headed for Sasuke's house.

"Are you a fag?" the older boy growled, crossing his arms and glaring at Gaara from behind his glasses. Gaara glared back even more coldly and took a step forward.

"What if I am? What are you going to do about it?" he snarled, his hand slipping inside his pocket and grasping a long, slender, black object.

"First, we're gonna take that little queer beside you to your father and tell him that he's you're boyfriend," Kabuto said, and Zaku and Dosu stepped forward, glaring at Sasuke. The dark haired boy took half a step back. Gaara stretched an arm across his chest, protecting him from the two.

"Just you fucking try to touch him," the redhead snarled, pulling the object out of his pocket. He pressed the small, silver button on it, and a long, silver, sharply pointed blade extended from it. It was a switchblade; a long, deadly switchblade. "I will cut you to motherfucking pieces if you so much as lay a hand on him."

"Woah! Kabuto!" Zaku said, putting his hands up and taking a couple steps back. "Let's get the fuck out of here!" With that, he turned and ran, Dosu following close behind. Kabuto glared at Gaara, then at Sasuke, clearly afraid. He took a step back, muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "fucking fags" and ran.

Gaara sighed and let his arm drop from in front of Sasuke. He thumbed the button on the handle of the blade, and it retracted back into it. He slipped it back into his pocket, then turned and looked up at Sasuke. A peculiar mix of emotions was on the Uchiha's face: surprise, fear, admiration, and relief. "Gaara, I… I thought they were really going to hurt me," he said sheepishly, a faint blush crossing his pale skin. He slipped his arms around Gaara's slim waist and rested his head against the psychopath's shoulder. "Thanks…"

"…You don't have to thank me," he said, turning Sasuke's face so his cold, jade eyes were looking steadily into the deep pools of black that were Sasuke's sweet, large eyes. "I just did what I had to. I'll never let anyone hurt you. I promise…" With that, he gently placed his lips over Sasuke's, and smirked inwardly as his boyfriend seemed to swoon against him.

His lips parted quickly and Sasuke's tongue was suddenly licking Gaara's lips, begging for entry. Gaara's own lips parted, his tongue snaking out to touch and caress the younger boy's. They fought for dominance, and of course the redhead let Sasuke win. He let Sasuke's tongue enter his mouth, then gently sucked it, causing the black haired one to moan softly. That small noise aroused Gaara, and he reluctantly pulled away. "…Let's get to your house before we continue," he whispered into Sasuke's ear. "I promise, it will be worth the wait, unless you want to have sex right here, on the street."

Sasuke voiced a little whimper at the stirring in his pants those words and the feeling of Gaara's warm breath ghosting over his skin caused. He grabbed Gaara's hand and quickly led the boy along the street, almost running. Gaara couldn't help but laugh at Sasuke, and that sound served only to turn the Uchiha in question on more.

-----------------------------------

(1) A brief note: Here are the Naruto boys' schedules and their teachers!

Naruto:

1: English - Umino Iruka

2: Spanish – Sarutobi Asuma

3: Science – Hatake Kakashi

4: History/Homeroom – Morino Ibiki

-Lunch-

5: PE – Mitarashi Anko

6: Geography/Natural History – Maito Gai

7: Math – Aburame Shibi

Gaara and Sasuke:

1: English – Umino Iruka

2: Spanish – Sarutobi Asuma

3: Science – Hatake Kakashi

4: History/Homeroom – Morino Ibiki

-Lunch-

5: Gaara: Art – Yuhi Kurenai

Greenhouse (every other day) – Nara Shikaku

Sasuke: Art - Yuhi Kurenai

Computer Science (every other day) - Hatake Kakashi

6: Geography/Natural History – Maito Gai

7: Math – Aburame Shibi

(2) http/ 


	8. Hesitation

Well, it's time for the next chapter. Some of you MUST be mystified as to how I can churn these out so quickly. Truth is, I don't know how I do it. My head is full of ideas and pictures and they just come out. So… yeah.

Chibi-Gaara: -rolls his eyes-

Me: Hey, shut up! It's true!

Chibi-Gaara: Of course it is.

Me: SHUT UP! Oh yeah, disclaimer. Don't own, don't sue.

Chibi-Gaara: She doesn't have any money anyways. Lemons, anyone?

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Sasuke fumbled with his keys for a moment, got the door unlocked, pulled Gaara inside and then pinned him against the door. He looked at Gaara for a moment, taking in every little detail: the pale, white skin slightly tinged with a blush; the pale, pink lips that were parted slightly for breath; the deep, jade eyes, ringed with black and shining with lust; the way his neck sloped so gracefully down to his slim shoulders…

Sasuke gave a little, needy moan and pressed his lips hard to the older boy's, his hands on the redhead's shoulders, keeping him against the door. Gaara's lips parted almost automatically, his tongue sliding out to meet Sasuke's. He moaned into Sasuke's mouth, his hands gently sliding up and down Sasuke's sides. The black haired one gave a heated moan and swooned against Gaara, their lips parting. His eyes were closed, and he gave a hard shiver as Gaara's hands slipped under his shirt and stroked his sides.

"G… Gaara," he mumbled, biting his lip. _How does he know my sides are so sensitive?_ Gaara smirked and lowered his lips to Sasuke's neck, gently kissing, then biting hard. Sasuke voiced a little cry, and shivered again.

Somebody cleared their throat from behind them, and Sasuke pulled away from Gaara, whirling around to face his older brother with a face as red as Gaara's hair. "Having fun, you two?" Itachi asked, his hands on his hips. Sasuke blushed deeper (as if that was even possible), and even Gaara seemed to be a little ashamed. "Take it upstairs, will ya? And try to keep it down," he said, putting his glasses back on, "because I'm trying to read." He turned and swept back into the living room, his robe not quite hiding the fact that he was wearing pink bunny slippers with springy ears.

Sasuke turned to look at Gaara, who looked steadily back at him. They turned in unison and dashed up the stairs, Sasuke leading the way up to him room. He fell back onto his bed and Gaara was immediately on top of him, nipping his neck and slipping his hands under his shirt, dragging his fingernails down his chest. Sasuke gave a quiet cry and shivered again, tilting his head back and exposing his neck further. Gaara gave a low purr, licking up the side of his neck, and gently suckled his ear lobe.

"Gaara," he breathed, wrapping his arms around the svelte psycho. "I… want you." It felt like a lie as he spoke it. Yes, he wanted Gaara, but…

"Is that a fact?" the redhead purred, sitting up and straddling Sasuke's hips. Sasuke nodded, trying to ignore his desire to hesitate and say no, and Gaara smirked. "How badly?"

"I… I," he began, repressing a shiver. He just moaned in response, unable (or unwilling?) to form a coherent sentence.

"Oh?" Gaara said simply, stroking Sasuke's flushed cheek. Sasuke nodded again and Gaara's smirk widened. "Well then, you're going to have to get undressed." He slid off of Sasuke and the Uchiha sat up. He pulled his shirt off quickly, exposing his pale chest and fumbled with the button on his jeans. Gaara chuckled darkly and pushed Sasuke back down. He then unbuttoned and unzipped Sasuke's jeans for him, sliding them down.

Sasuke kicked them off and let them fall to the floor as he stared up at Gaara. He breathed his name, and the boy in question gently put a finger to Sasuke's lips. "Don't speak," he said quietly, removing his finger and gently kissing his lips. He then pulled his own shirt off, exposing alabaster skin that seemed to wail for Sasuke to touch him. Sasuke was more than happy to oblige; he reached out and gently trailed his fingertips down Gaara's chest. There were a lot of old scars there. Sasuke wondered where such a latticework of old wounds could have come from.

Gaara shivered slightly at the feeling of Sasuke's cool fingers on his skin. He bit his lip to keep from moaning and gently took Sasuke's hand, kissing the back of it and smiling down at his boyfriend. "Sasuke," he said, his voice quiet. "Do you love me?" The question had been preying on his mind for the past few days; ever since the day Sasuke kissed him on Naruto's couch. He found that deep inside him, there was hope. Hope that somebody could love the monster that he was.

"I… don't know," Sasuke said, and Gaara felt his heart break a little. "Not yet. I haven't known you long enough to tell if it truly is love. I do feel something strong for you, though. I suppose it could be love." He smiled up at Gaara, gently pulling him down and kissing him. "I care about you," he whispered as Gaara pulled away after a few seconds. Gaara let a smile cross his own features.

"I care about you, too," he replied, then unbuttoned his pants, letting them slide off of his slim hips. He lay beside Sasuke and kicked them off, letting them fall beside Sasuke's. He put an arm around the Uchiha and pulled his close, gently kissing his neck. "Are you sure?" he asked, not feeling the need to elaborate. Sasuke bit his lip and thought for a moment.

"I… I…" He sighed, and shook his head reluctantly. "No… the truth is, I'm not. I'm scared. Scared of how this will change us."

"Alright," Gaara said, pulling Sasuke closer. He was quiet for a moment, then said, very quietly, "The truth is, I'm scared too." Sasuke smiled as Gaara turned to lay on his back, and Sasuke gently say his head on the slim redhead's chest. His eyes slowly closed, and soon he had fallen asleep.

---

"Nnn…" Sasuke gave a sleepy moan and pushed himself up by one hand. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stretched briefly, then turned to see if Gaara was still there. He gave a disappointed 'aww', then pulled a white shirt with a yellow ducky on it and blue sweatpants on. Plodding down the stairs, he yawned and ran a hand through his hair. He then tripped over one of the many cats(1) that seemed to always be hanging around their house.

Tumbling down the last few stairs, he gave a pained grunt as he sat up, glaring at the fluffy black cat that had tripped him. It just meowed sanguinely, then hopped down the stairs and strutted past him. Sasuke hissed at it and it bolted. "Stupid cat," he growled, standing up and rubbing his arm. He turned and trudged into the living room. Flopping down onto their couch beside another one of Itachi's cats, he turned the TV on. Itachi looked up from his book and smirked.

"Grumpy?" he asked, taking his glasses off and closing the book he had been reading, setting them both on the table. He gave a quiet chuckle when Sasuke just grunted as a response. "Aww, is it because you didn't get any last night?" He simply grinned when Sasuke sent a fiery glare his way.

"_No_," Sasuke growled. "I'm _grumpy_ because that damn stupid black cat tripped me on the stairs."

"Oh," Itachi said. He watched the television for a few moments, then snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah! That cute redhead you brought home told me to relay a message to you!"

"Really?" Sasuke sat up and looked over to his brother. "What is it, Aniki?"

"I don't know as if I want to tell you, Otouto," he said, crossing his arms. "You insulted my kitty."

"Oh come on! It tried to kill me!" he replied, rolling his eyes. "Please tell me, Aniki?"

"D'oh… fine," Itachi said begrudgingly. "He said to tell you that you're always safe with him. Corny, isn't it?" He grinned at Sasuke's dreamy smile. "Aww, you love him." He smirked when his younger brother blushed. "Don't deny it." With that he rose and swept into the kitchen, humming a little tune.

"Humph," Sasuke said, slouching back into the couch. The cat next to him mewed, then climbed up onto Sasuke's lap. He idly stroked the furry creature and it immediately started to purr. "Stupid cat," he said to the yellow and white cat. "I don't like you." The cat just purred louder and he sighed. "Stupid… I think I'll call you Naruto."

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(1) Apparently Itachi's voice actor has hella cats. This is where I got this idea from.

Review response time!

Nine-Tailed Demon Fox: When you're somebody like Gaara, you gotta have a weapon with you. You never know when some bitch is gonna get uppity.

Fangz of Fire: The Brain Squid is copyrighted by me, but you can borrow him if you need. I invented the Brain Squid. Its tentacles wrap around your head and it uses its beak to bore a hole into your head, then suck your brains out. It's a mighty fine animal. And that part up at the top of this chapter? That's for you. 3

Sabaku no Emi: Thanks, once again.


	9. Only Happy When It Rains

Well, here's the next chapter. Not much else to say.

I don't own Naruto.

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Gaara slipped in through the door, closing it slowly. He turned and took a step towards the stairs. Then the light flicked on, and Gaara froze. His breath stilled in his chest. His blood ran cold. His heart began to pound. A sick, twisting sensation bloomed in his belly, as if it were full of snakes.

His father was standing in the arch that led to the living room.

The man took a stumbling step towards Gaara, a malevolent sneer on his face. He clutched a bottle of vodka in one hand. Gaara shrunk back against the door, seriously afraid. He was late. Much too late. When Sasuke had grabbed him, he'd forgotten all about his father, and this hell of a house. Now he would pay for it.

"Where have you been, you little shit?" his father growled, taking another shambling step towards him. Gaara groped for words, and his father slapped him. The redhead cried out in pain, raising a hand to his cheek to cover the stinging flesh. He stumbled sideways and sat down hard, looking up at his father with a mix of hate and fear. "I asked you a question, goddammit!"

"I… I was at Naruto's house," Gaara lied quickly, then winced as his father lurched towards him again.

"Don't fucking lie to me, you goddamn fag!" the man roared, kicking at Gaara. He caught the boy squarely in the hip, causing him to cry out again. He took a pull from the bottle of vodka he held, then glared back down at his son. "I saw you with that other little fag." Gaara gave a shivering gasp and his father grinned maniacally. "Yeah. Fucking soul kissing in the middle of the street. You fags… make me sick," he said, then spit on his youngest son. "I have a way of making sure that you never see that other goddamn fag again." He smashed the mostly empty bottle against the wall, holding the neck with the jagged edges like a knife. "You'll never see him again if you're dead, you fucking fag."

"D…Dad," Gaara gasped, and then something inside him changed. His eyes went from full of terror to full of hate. The weak feeling inside of his entire body turned into a feeling that was like steel running through his veins. His roiling guts stilled, and Gaara stood, kneeing his father hard in the stomach. He grabbed the older man's wrist with a hand that felt as strong as an eagle's talon, then twisted his arm. The old man dropped the broken bottle with a howl, and Gaara punched his father in the face, and hard.

"You've tormented me every day of my life," he growled, punching him again. "You've made my life a living hell." He punched again. "You made me hate myself more than anything in the entire world." And again. "You made me want to fucking DIE." Harder this time. "I met somebody who actually makes me feel like I'm not some kind of failure." Harder still. "I'm leaving." He shoved his father backwards, and hard. The man fell flat on his back, his nose and cheekbone shattered, his entire face bruised. "I never want to fucking see you ever again." He went up the stairs, packed a bag full of his things, and then went back downstairs. He stopped in the doorway, not looking back at his dad. "If you lay another hand on Temari, I will destroy you. Leave my sister alone." Then, he left.

He went to the only place he could: Naruto's house. Through the pouring rain that had started when he went inside, he walked with his head down, his eyeliner running. The force that had filled him with that powerful steel was gone as suddenly as it had come. It was the second time he had felt it in one day; this time it was weaker than before. When it first emerged that day was when Sasuke had been threatened. He'd never wanted to protect anyone that much ever before.

Before he knew it, Gaara was in front of the bright orange house that Naruto lived in. It had grown darker; he'd been out of it for at least an hour. He was soaked to the bone and shivering hard. He went up the steps to Naruto's home and knocked on the door with a trembling hand. His skin felt so tight that it would split open, and he felt so cold that the instant it did, his blood would freeze.

"Gaara?" the blonde asked, opening his door. "What are you doing here so la- you're drenched!" Naruto exclaimed and dragged him inside. He rushed up the stairs, grabbed a towel from the bathroom and some clothes from his room, then ran back downstairs. He handed them to Gaara, and asked him what happened.

"It was my dad. He was going to kill me… I just snapped. I didn't kill him, but I destroyed his face," the redhead said, peeling his soaking shirt and pants off. He wrapped a towel around his waist and slid his boxers off. Naruto bit his lip, concerned about the blue color of Gaara's lips.

"Gaara, you'll catch hypothermia!" He gently ushered the freezing boy into the living room and pushed him down onto the couch. He dashed upstairs, grabbed his favorite blanket (the one with little bowls of ramen all over it) and carried it downstairs, wrapping Gaara in it. He went into the kitchen and put some water on, then went back out to the living room and sat next to his shivering friend. He put an arm around him and turned the TV on, not minding that Gaara's sopping wet hair was drenching his shoulder and chest.

All he cared about was that Gaara was okay.

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J-Rock Girl: I know the feeling. I laugh maniacally from time to time.

Nine-Tailed Demon Fox: Like I said, a bunch.

Sakura Shoizu: Aww, thank you. I'm glad you like it. Itachi as a recovering junkhead is a good idea, is it not?

Fangz of Fire: Brian Squids generally steal brains. It's the excuse I use when I've got writer's block. "OH NOEZ BRAYN SKWID LOLOLOLOLO"

Sabaku no Emi: Cute is what I aim for! -nice guy pose-


	10. Abducted II

I got this idea so hard today. It raped my head and it was all I could think about for a half hour. The half hour that I couldn't be on the computer. Ironic, innit?

Chibi-Gaara: What's gonna happen to me this time?

Chibi-Deidara: Wait and see, un!

Chibi-Gaara: HO'SHIZ NOT YOU

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Gaara stood outside the school, waiting for Naruto and Sasuke. The last week or so had passed without incident. Temari had asked Gaara where he'd been, and Gaara had told her what happened. Naruto was still acting weird around Sasuke. The redhead wondered what was up. He turned around as he heard someone crunching through the gravel.

Sasuke smiled at him as he walked up and took Gaara's hand, lacing their fingers together. Gaara offered a small smile back, and kissed his cheek. He turned when more steps approached, and he smiled a bit wider at the blonde, who was blushing a little and scratching the back of his head. "What took you?" Gaara asked, and Naruto offered a tittery laugh. It was completely fake.

"Ah, you know me! Gotta make sure my hair is perfect!" he said, and Gaara frowned a little. That wasn't like him at all. He rolled out of bed, ran a hand through his hair, and called it good. Gaara studied him, and it looked as though he had actually made an effort to clean himself up a little.

Naruto's rather long hair had been brushed and was lying down flat as opposed to the wild shaggy way it usually was. His clothes weren't rumpled or stained, and he wasn't wearing something neon orange for once. He had a tight, white shirt that said "Books Are A-Okay!" and a pair of tight black jeans on. He wasn't wearing his faded, dirty, orange hightops, which Gaara could hardly believe, and instead was wearing a pair of black sneakers.

"Well, it seems as though you've sure taken your time today," Gaara said with a smirk.

"Yeah. You look nice, Naruto," Sasuke grinned. The blonde blushed and looked away, and Sasuke frowned. Gaara looked at Naruto, then at Sasuke, then back at Naruto.

"Okay, blondie. Give. What's up with you?" Gaara asked, his hands on his hips. He glared at his friend and current roommate, and the blonde blushed deeper. Gaara's glare hardened. "Naruto," he said dangerously, and the blonde looked back up, his clear blue eyes clearly showing his reluctance to tell. "Naruto!"

He sighed, and decided that he wasn't going to squirm out of this one. "I… had a… an… ah…" he stuttered, and the growling voice inside him spoke up. **_Tell him you had a rather strange dream about Sasuke,_** the voice inside Naruto's head advised, and he nodded a little. "I had a weird dream about Sasuke. It left me a little… shaken," he said sheepishly. "I'm sorry I've been so weird to you, Sasuke. I just… I…" He stopped and shook his head.

Sasuke sighed and gently punched Naruto's arm. "Loser," he said, and began to walk. "Come on. We'll be late if we don't hurry."

---

After school, Gaara headed home by himself. Naruto and Sasuke had decided to get some ramen. Gaara had said he had a lot of homework, which was a lie, but he wanted to let the two be alone for a little while. He sighed and kicked a rock on the sidewalk. He never noticed the dark shadow following him.

Suddenly, a cold blade was pressed against his throat. "Hello there, un," a deep voice said from behind him. "Don't move, un. I got you, so just hold still, un."

"Who are you?" Gaara asked with a complete lack of fear. He wasn't scared. He knew he could escape from them sooner or later.

"That doesn't matter, un," the voice said and pushed him forward, forcing him to walk. "What is important is that we have you now. You belong to the Akatsuki, un. You're going to be right useful to us, un." Gaara heard the grin in the man's voice as he was forced to walk. "You're going to deliver Itachi right to us."

---

Gaara sighed as he lounged in the dark red overstuffed armchair. He looked coldly at the redhead, who had identified himself as Sasori and the blonde who'd brought him there as Deidara. A weird, green haired boy was standing off to the side, and a man with blue tinged skin was on the other side of the small, dirty room.

"So, Gaara," Sasori said with a smirk. "I understand you and Itachi's little brother are dating." Gaara remained silent. "You must care for him. Deidara saw you almost stab Dosu because he looked at him funny." Gaara blinked slowly, his cold stare still in place. "What would you do if I said I was going to hurt Sasuke?"

"I'd kill you," the redhead said simply. Sasori smirked wider.

"Then I won't hurt him. We need him, though. He's going to find the note we left for him, come to rescue you, and then we'll have you both. Itachi will have no choice but to-" He was cut off by Deidara, who punched him in the back of the head.

"Idiot! Haven't you seen enough Bond movies to know you NEVER reveal your secret, sinister plot to you captives? For god's sake, un!" he scolded as the older redhead clutched his head.

"You didn't have to hit me," he protested and rubbed the sore spot. "Well, anyways, you're our ticket to getting Itachi back. We need him. He's a good mule for getting the coke to the buyer. He scored a lot of good heroin that way. Speaking of which… wanna, Deidei?"

"You read my mind, Sasori-danna," Deidara said with a grin, and opened the drawer of a small, dirty endtable. He pulled a couple syringes and rubber tie thinggies out of the drawer and sat down on the couch. Sasori sat next to him as the blonde set the syringes down and pushed his sleeve up. The older man tied the rubber tie thing around Deidara's arm and kissed him on the lips. Deidara blushed and grinned, reciprocating the gesture. They shot up in unison, and Gaara glared at them.

Out of all the kinds of people in the world, he hated drug addicts the most. Drug addicts were no good. They were helpless over their lives. Their entire existence revolved around the smack. The dope. The goddamn drugs. He snarled at Sasori as the older redhead smiled at him. "You want to get high, sweet thang?" He laughed as Gaara looked away in disgust. This was going to be fun…

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Thanks to the reviewers!

No, Gaara and Naruto aren't going to do it. C'mon, Gaara wouldn't cheat!


	11. Cocaine is a hell of a drug!

Well, chapter 11. I got some things to tell y'all first, though.

**I just recently started school up again, so I may not update for long stretches of time. The chapters may be sup-par. I will, however, try to make them at least 1,000 words, and I will try to update every Saturday, or, barring that, Friday, just to give you something to look forward to.**

So, enjoy. I hope you like it.

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Sasuke sighed as he trudged home. _Naruto… what is wrong with that kid? He drags me off to get some ramen, doesn't eat any, which is SO unlike himself, and then just stares at me the entire time. He told me he wanted to talk but…_The Uchiha sighed again and shook his head. _That boy ain't right._

He was lost in the whirling vortex of his thoughts until he reached his door. Itachi was out for a while, shopping, so Sasuke had the house to himself. He reached for the door, then spotted the envelope tacked to his door. It had his name on it, and also said "urgent!" on it, so he untacked it and opened it, pulling the note out. He read it slowly at first, then faster, his blood freezing. He reread the second line several times, his hands starting to shake with rage and fear.

"Dear Sasuke,

How's your brother doing these days? Is he still doing the sweet lady(1), or is he 'over that'?

Well, enough about that. We just wanted you to know, we have Gaara. If you ever want to see him alive again, then turn around.

Hidan is waiting behind you. He has us on radio. If you go inside after opening this letter, he will tell us, and we will kill your precious little redhead. If you go inside for longer than 10 minutes, we will kill him.

Don't be late!"

The name Sasori was signed at the bottom, with a heart next to it. A _heart!_ That small symbol enraged Sasuke more than any other part of the letter. He could feel himself close to tears, and yet he turned around, dropping the letter and his pack.

"Hidan," he said, looking up at the tall silver haired man. He smiled sweetly.

"Ready to go, big boy?" he asked, and Sasuke bared his teeth at him. "I'll take that as a yes!" He grabbed Sasuke by the arm and began to lead him away. "Oh, almost forgot!" He stopped, and tied a black blindfold over the boy's eyes. "Scream, and I'll kill you. Then I'll radio base and have them kill Gaara."

Sasuke felt his heart stop again, and suddenly felt very helpless. He felt tears threaten again, and bit hit lip hard. _I won't cry. Gaara… god, if they hurt him…!_ "What do you want with me?" he asked, and was relieved to find his voice steady.

"We just need you for a while. Your brother was a very valuable asset to our gang, you see," the man explained. "He was the only one our big buyer trusted, you see. It's Kakuzu's fault, really. He gave the man some bad shit once and now he thinks we're all crooks. We aren't crooks!"

Sasuke voiced a bitter laugh, and Hidan smiled. "Well, technically we are. But still, we're good people! We just need you to help us out, big boy. If we have you, we have Itachi's heart in the palm of our hands. He loves you, you know." He sighed and was quiet for a moment as he pushed Sasuke into his car and got into the driver's seat. "Kisame really misses him. When he left the gang, he left us all behind. Me, Sasori, Deidara, Kisame, the Boss… we all liked him. I think Kisame may have felt something more for him. You understand, don't you? That's why we want him back, more than just the fact that he was good at scoring cocaine, transporting it, selling it, and getting the heron. He was very good at that, but he was our friend. He was a good companion.

"I think it was Kakuzu's fault. That jackass never liked how Itachi upstaged him. Kakuzu used to be our go-to-guy, but when Itachi came along, we all started relying on him. Kakuzu was so jealous because everybody liked him so much. He also stole from us. He would tell us the deal had only cut two and a half grand when we knew it was at least three. Greedy son of a bitch. The only reason we used him was because he was the only one who could get the coke, and then the heroin, without getting caught. Somehow he just knew how to not get discovered," the older man continued in a thoughtful tone, driving slowly.

"Oh sure, Sasori could get the coke places in his stupid little puppets, but he could only carry so much at a time in those damned things. They were too small. Kisame could never have got the coke anywhere because of the way he looks. Same goes for Zetsu. They're both just too strange. Kisame's skin is just blue for some reason, and Zetsu refuses to wash the damn face paint off. That and he's pretty much high off weed all the time. He's big on the plants; 'shrooms, weed, peyote… you name a hallucinogenic plant, and he's done it." He shook his head and sighed. "I think he's really selfish that way. He doesn't want to help anyone out. He's just in so he can get the H.

"Sasori and Deidara, now they're pretty much the leaders. They're closest to the Big Boss, and therefore are in charge of the gang when he's not around. Sure, he may pull the strings, but Sasori and Deidara… they lead everyone. They're good guys, basically, except Deidara likes fire, explosions and sculpting too much and Sasori is obsessed with his freaky little puppets. We've all got something wrong with us, you know. Me, I'm kind of part of this religion that embraces death. And before you say it, it's NOT a cult! It's called Jashin. 'Anything less than total destruction is a sin,' you know." Sasuke could tell he was smiling. He shivered a little and sighed. He wished he could see…

"Well, come along then," Hidan said and climbed the car once it had stopped. He opened Sasuke's door and pulled him out, setting him down and leading him somewhere. He pushed Sasuke down onto a couch, and he heard someone gasp. When his blindfold was removed, he gasped as well.

"Gaara!" he breathed, and the redhead just stared at him, wide-eyed. He reached out for the psycho sitting next to him on the couch and wrapped his arms around him, burying his face in his long, slender neck. He let himself go, and sobbed into his neck. He was just so relieved to see that he was alright…

"Sasuke," Gaara mumbled, wrapping one arm around his shoulders and putting the other on the back of Sasuke's head.

Sasori smiled as he looked at them. "Ain't that cute?" he asked Deidara, and the blonde nodded.

"So cute it's almost sickening," he agreed with a sunny smile. He sat down on the other, ratty couch and Sasori sat next to him. Deidara giggled as the older redhead climbed on top of him and began kissing his neck. "Sassy-danna! Stoppit," he said, half-heartedly, wrapping his arms around him and closing his eyes.

"For god's sake," Kisame growled. "If you're going to have sex, do it in your room. I don't want to have to see that."

"Sorry, Kissy," Deidara said and pushed Sasori off. He led the giggling redhead out a door behind the couch Sasuke and Gaara were on, and Kisame sighed, collapsing down onto the recently vacated couch.

"So. Sasuke," he said, looking at the young Uchiha. He was greeted with a cold, tearful glare. "I'm sorry, okay? We just need your brother."

"Hidan already told me all about it," he growled, turning away.

The older man in question snapped his fingers and grinned. "Oh yeah! If you call the cops if we release you, we'll find you, and we'll kill you. Sorry it has to be like this. Also, if Itachi won't rejoin us, you have to die as well," he explained. "I'm awful sorry it's gotta be this way, but he has to know that the Akatsuki doesn't make idle threats."

Sasuke sighed shakily and squoze Gaara tighter. He wanted to get out of this safely… _please God, let Gaara make it out of this alive. I don't care what happens to me, but please… let my angel be alright._

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Oh noes! Drug addicts!

J-RockGirl: Of course Naruto and Sasuke weren't doin' it. Sassy-kun wouldn't cheat!

Sakura Shoizu: I should write the junkie scenes really well, I'm friends with an ex-junkhead and I've read the Dark Tower series all to hell and one of the main characters is a junkie._  
_


	12. Always An Addict

Hey guys. This was written mostly by hand, then copied onto the computer!

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Itachi sighed as he pushed the door open. "Otouto, how many times do I have to tell you not to leave your stuff sitting on the porch?" he asked irritably. He set his keys and bags of groceries down on the counter, then headed into the living room. "Sasuke? Otouto?" he asked, a little concerned. "Sasuke, where are you?"

She put a hand on his hip and made a thoughtful noise, then jumped almost a foot when someone put their arms around his waist. He jerked away and spun around. Seeing who it was, he gasped and took a step back. "You..!"

"Aw, Itachi-kun. Don't be that way!" the older man said.

"Tobi..!" Itachi hissed, his hand straying to his pocket, where he used to keep his knife. "What… where did you come from? You got out of jail already?"

"Oh, you remembered!" the man said happily, clapping his hands. "They let me out early. I'm a surprise for the others, from Sasori-kun. He had me come here first to tell you something… it was about that cute little brother of yours. Sasuke, wasn't it? Now, what was I supposed to say…" He put on a mock thoughtful face. Itachi shuddered, looking at the permanently lidded empty right socket.

"What have you done with Sasuke?" he growled, terrified for his brother but unwilling to show it. He remembered what they had done to Tobi and his friend Kakashi when Tobi, who had once been known as Obito, tried to leave the gang. They put out his right eye and Kakashi's left eye. Itachi had watched it happen. He wanted to help them, especially as Kakashi screamed for his help, but he couldn't lift a finger to help them.

Kakashi had been a part of a rival gang at the time, the ANBU, which had been Itachi's gang long before the Akatsuki entered the picture. They were less of a gang and more a band of Robin Hoods. Itachi had been a part of them ever since he was 13, but quit in favor of the smaller, but more powerful Akatsuki after he'd had a taste of their heroin and the high it gave.

He had become a drug addict to escape from the fear, worry and depression he felt when Sasuke had disappeared. Now, after having been sober for at least three months, he felt himself craving a fix more badly than ever.

"Hmm… oh yes, that's right!" Tobi said, braking into Itachi's thoughts. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded square of notebook paper. He unfolded it and began to read.

"Itachi,

You know your little brother's boyfriend Gaara, right? Well, I'm afraid we had to borrow him and your dear Otouto for a while.

There is a catch, though. Come back to base with Tobi, or both Sasuke and Gaara will die. First Gaara, so Sasuke can watch his lover die.

Tobi has a walkie-talkie. If you try to harm him, he'll press a button and we'll know.

And they will die.

So sorry, but we need you!

Sasori"

"Isn't that cute, he signed a little heart next to his name," the man once known as Obito said cheerfully to the horrorstricken older brother.

"You sons of bitches," he breathed, tears welling up in his dark eyes and threatening to spill over.

"Does that mean you'll come with me?" he asked, and Itachi nodded, then hung his head. "Good!" Tobi chirped, "Kissy, Deidei and Sassy all missed you a lot," he told Itachi, walking him out to his car.

"Suck my fucking dick, you piece of shit," Itachi said, lifelessly, and got into the back of Tobi's car.

Tobi giggled and got into the driver's seat. "I love you too, Itachi-sempai. Wanna get high?" He held up a tiny bottle with a small spoon attached to the lid and a small mirror. "If you do, I'll wait until you're done to start the car."

Itachi sighed, took the heroin, and snorted his happiness. He'd preferred injecting to snorting, but beggars couldn't be choosers…

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I'm separating the block of writing I did into two chapters. The other should be up really soon.


	13. Palaver

It seems I could not update this the same day. Oh well. Sorry!

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"Sasuke… Naruto told me that you were gone for three years. You just disappeared, he said. What happened?" Gaara asked his boyfriend.

The room was empty. Kisame was guarding the door, waiting for someone, and everyone else was out of the room. _They could kill us at any moment. I won't die without knowing about my angel's past._

The younger boy looked up at Gaara and sighed. His dark eyes reflected his surety that he was going to die here. "I was kidnapped, I suppose you'd say. Kept against my will. It started a while after my family died, leaving me with just Itachi…"

_/Flashback/_

"_Mr. Orochimaru?" the young Uchiha asked. "Where are we going? What about my parents?" He'd climbed into the large, black car, completely forgetting everything Itachi and his parents had told him about getting into stranger's cars. He wanted his mother and father…_

"_You're going to end up like them if you don't shut up," the pale, creepy man growled, and Sasuke cringed away._

"_Mr. Orochimaru…?" he asked again, starting to be seriously afraid. _

_"You belong to me as of now," he said, and Sasuke felt himself close to tears. "You are my slave. You are to obey my every command."_

_/-/ _

"That's where I got this from," Sasuke said, pulling his shirt off and pointing to the strange, black tattoo on his neck. "He had it put on me when he finally had me cowed. It wasn't easy for him but… I broke, eventually. Even I can only handle so much pain…"

_"Say it, you insolent little whelp!" the older man snarled, cracking the whip against the chained boy's exposed, pale belly. He smiled as Sasuke screamed out in pain._

_"Orochimaru!" he shrieked, and the man bared his teeth, whipping him again._

_"That's MASTER Orochimaru," he corrected, and smiled wider as Sasuke sent him a tear filled glare._

_/-/ _

"That's where a lot of these scars are from. He beat me, whipped me, cut me… he was so cruel to me," he said with a frown.

"Oh… oh Sasuke," Gaara breathed, running his fingers gently over some of the larger, deeper scars. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Sasuke said, shaking his head. "He did horrible things to me, but that's in the past now. Some people can't remember that, though. People like Kabuto, Dosu, Zaku… they were all Orochimaru's lackeys."

"Was that why…?" Gaara asked, not needing to elaborate.

"Yeah. They wanted to avenge their master. Do you remember Kin?" Gaara nodded, and Sasuke sighed deeply. "It's my fault she died…"

/-/

_"Sasuke?"_

_"What do you want?"_

_"I'm sorry for what Orochimaru does to you. I don't approve of it at all," the long haired girl said, sitting down on the bed next to the bruised and bleeding boy. "I like you, Sasuke." She took the roll of bandages and washcloth from him and began to gently wash the drying blood off of his chest and arms._

_---_

_"Sasuke, have you eaten anything?"_

_---_

_"Sasuke, how many times have I told you to clean up after yourself?"_

_---_

_"Sasuke! Are you okay?"_

_---_

_"How's it going, Sasuke?"_

_---_

_"Are you having a good day?"_

_/-/ _

"I think she really cared about me, you know? She took care of me," Sasuke said, with a deep sigh. "I cared about her, too. It made me happy to know that SOMEone in that hell of a place actually cared, but in the end, she died for me…"

_/-/_

_"SASUKE!"_

_"KIN! NO!" he shouted, reaching out for the girl who had leapt in front of him, shielding him from the knife that had been flying at his head. There was a meaty "thok!" and Kin gave a short, choking cry. She slumped to her knees and turned half around. Sasuke gave a dismayed cry, seeing the knife sticking out of the girl's chest, blood staining her clothes red._

_"Kin..!" he gasped, tears filling his eyes, and she smiled weakly._

_"I'm alright, Sasuke… take care of yourself, okay?" With that, she slumped forward onto him, and he gave a strangled cry._

_"Kin! I love you, Kin… please don't die…" He lay her down and stayed there a moment, his eyes closed. He then stood slowly, his hands curled into tight fists, and he looked up at the knife thrower. "You snake fucker," he snarled, and pulled the knife out of Kin's chest. "YOU SNAKE FUCKING, PEDOPHILE, NECROPHILIAC SON OF A BITCH!"_

_/-/ _

"I killed Orochimaru. Don't ask me how. I don't remember," he said, shaking his head. "I just remember waking up next to him, that knife in my hand. His head was just barely hanging on by a thread." He smiled savagely. "I'm glad to know that I was his death. The next thing I remember is being on my doorstep with Itachi hugging me so hard he bruised two of my ribs."

Gaara smiled a little and hugged Sasuke, reflecting on the people he'd killed in the course of his relatively short life. "That's over with now. You said it yourself. I won't let anybody hurt you ever again. I promise." He kissed Sasuke's lips gently, and wasn't surprised to find he'd been crying… and so had Sasuke.

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Nine-Tailed Demon Fox: Sasori is so girly because I want him to be that way. Keep in mind, he's on heroin most of the time…

Sabaku no Emi: Haha, yes. I can't wait to find out, either!

fullmetalguitar: There are sonsabitches but they are lovable sonsabitches. Kissy is Kisame, Deidei is Deidara, and Sassy is Sasori.


	14. Breeding in Captivity

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.

Next chapter. Whee.

Chibi-Sasuke: I don't want to be kidnapped anymore!

Chibi-Kisame: Quiet you.

Me: Rrrrh… YOU GUYS! YOU KEEP LETTING ME FORGET THE DISLAIMER! If you keep this up, I could get in trouble! Also, unexpected lemon! Read with caution!

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_Sasuke has hardly changed a bit. Still leaving his stuff everywhere. He's lucky I noticed he left this behind, _Naruto thought, looking down at the sketchbook. _It would have been stolen. I can't believe he left this behind._ He sighed and looked up, then noticed Sasuke's older brother with an older looking, taller man. _What's going on?_

He watched as he hung his head. He heard Itachi say something in a dead voice, and the older man just laughed. "What's going on..?" Naruto mumbled, then turned and kept walking down the road. Something told him that the man Itachi was getting into the car with wasn't exactly a nice person. When they had driven away, Naruto quickly crossed the street. He looked down at Sasuke's backpack sitting on the porch, and spotted something in the bushes.

"A note?" he asked, picking it up and reading it. He froze when he read the part about Gaara. "Oh no… _oh no…_" he whispered, shaking. He dropped the note and the sketchpad, turned, and raced down the sidewalk in the direction that the car had gone. _Gaara! Please be okay!_ he thought, panicked.

---

"Tobi!" Gaara heard the man guarding the door ask, and a new voice replied.

"In the flesh! And look who I brought with me."

"…It's been a while."

"Drop dead," a familiar voice said, and Sasuke jumped about a mile.

"ITACHI!" he shouted, turning around on the couch and staring at the door. "ANIKI!"

"Sasuke?" he heard his brother mumble, and then the door opened. His brother was standing there, looking a little dazed. "Hey, Otouto," he said. He walked inside and sat down on one of the old armchairs.

"Aniki?" Sasuke asked again, and Itachi nodded. "Aniki, what's wrong with you?"

"Oh, have you never seen him when he's high?" the new man asked, and Sasuke turned to look at him.

"What?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

The man just chuckled and shook his head. "Never mind. Kisame, watch them, okay? I'm going to go find Sasori." With that, he turned left the room. Kisame turned around, shut and locked the door, then walked over to the dazed looking Uchiha brother.

"Itachi…" he said, caressing his cheek, and Itachi leaned into his touch with a smile. "I missed you."

"KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OF HIM!" Sasuke shouted, swinging at Kisame. He easily dodged the blow and snarled.

"Shut up," he growled, slapping him hard enough to bloody his nose. Sasuke gave a cry and Gaara caught him as he fell back.

"You son of a bitch," the redhead growled, holding Sasuke close to him. That steely, harsh, angry power was flooding into him once more. "You never fucking touch Sasuke. Don't EVER fucking **touch my Sasuke**." He stood, gently letting his boyfriend down onto the couch, and took a step towards Kisame. He raised his fist, completely forgetting about his switchblade.

Then the door opened again and Sasori, Deidara and the new man reentered the room. "What's going on here, Kisame?" Sasori asked, looking calmly at the enraged Gaara and the bleeding Sasuke.

"Itachi's brother tried to hit me. I put him in his place and the redhead got mad," he explained calmly as Deidara shoved Gaara back down onto the couch. Itachi watched this with a dazed look.

"What did I tell you about hitting the twerps?" Sasori sighed and shook his head. "I said not to, right?"

"Yeah," Kisame grumbled, and dropped into the chair next to Itachi's. He took the younger man's hand and his look softened. "I know. But he tried to hit me, after all."

"You were justified, but still," Sasori said, wagging a finger at him. "You made him bleed. If Itachi hadn't succumbed to the addiction, he might have put you out of commission for hitting his baby brother."

"Yeah, yeah," Kisame mumbled. "So what do we do with them?"

"Keep them in the Box until Itachi comes around. What else?" he asked, and motioned for Deidara to move them.

"Okay, kiddos! It's time to go in the Box now! Giddap, giddap," he said, picking them up by their collars and pulling them through the door, down the stairs, and into the basement. He shoved them down, switched the light on, then left and locked the door.

Sasuke grunted when he fell down onto the old, creaky mattress. He wrapped his arms around Gaara as the boy fell on top of him. "Gaara," he mumbled, sniffling. The redhead sighed, pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket, and turned around, sitting on Sasuke's lap in a quite compromising position. He cleaned the blood off Sasuke's face and sighed again.

"I almost knocked that son of a bitch out," he said dropping the square of cloth to the dirty carpeted floor. "I swear, if those other fucks hadn't come along, I would have."

"Thanks," Sasuke mumbled, putting a hand on the back of his neck and pulling his close. He kissed him gently, then pulled away. "We could die here," he said, his eyes reflecting none of the fear he'd felt before. Yeah, he was afraid that he might die here, but he knew that Itachi would try to protect him.

"Yes," he answered, unafraid of facing death. He knew that if he died, Sasuke would be with him. That was all he cared about. That was all that mattered. "We could die here. But we would die together." Yet… Naruto. He felt his heart break a little, and wondered what Naruto was doing right now. _I hope he's alright. He'll start to worry when we're not at school tomorrow. He'll find us gone… poor Naruto. I wish… I wish he didn't have to be left behind like this._

"You're thinking about him," Sasuke said, and Gaara looked up into his eyes. He nodded, and Sasuke closed his eyes. "I can tell."

Gaara simply looked at him, studying the way the hanging light cast shadows across his face. He became aware of the way he was sitting, and blushed a little. "Sasuke," he said quietly, leaning in close. His lips were just a few inches away from Sasuke's. He noticed the sweet scent radiating from the younger boy, noticed the silky feel of his hair between his fingers, the gentle caress of his breath across his skin…

The Uchiha opened his eyes to Gaara's pale blue eyes, and smiled a little. "Gaara," he said, and leaned in close. "We aren't going to die virgins here, are we…"

"Not if I can help it," he said, and slipped a hand under Sasuke's shirt, gently running his fingernails down his chest.

The dark haired boy shivered and smirked, wrapping his arms around Gaara's neck. "You pervert… we're being held hostage," he said, tilting his head back as Gaara kissed and nipped his neck.

"I know," he replied simply, and Sasuke shivered a little, then pushed Gaara away gently. He pulled his shirt off, and Gaara removed his own, smiling wickedly. He undid his pants, removed his shoes and socks, and sat down on the bed, leaning back a little and propping himself up with his arms. Sasuke had stripped down to his boxers already, and Gaara pulled him down onto his lap. He grabbed Sasuke's hips and positioned him so that their erections pressed together through their remaining clothes. Sasuke closed his eyes and voiced a quiet cry, raising his hands to Gaara's shoulders.

"You want this bad, don't you?" he asked quietly, and Sasuke nodded. Gaara smirked and gently squoze Sasuke's hips, causing him to let out a quiet moan. "Sensitive hips?"

"I guess," he said in a sighing voice, shifting a little and biting his lip. Gaara smirked.

"Uncomfortable, isn't it?" He pushed Sasuke off, and then slipped his pants off slowly, revealing the red silk thong he was wearing. Sasuke blushed a little, and Gaara chuckled. "Yeah, I have sexy underwear. Don't ask why." He pulled slowly pulled it down, then off, revealing his hard, hot, aching cock. "So Sasuke… you going to stay half naked?" He smirked as the Uchiha hurriedly slipped his boxers off and blushed a little, laying back on the mattress. Gaara knelt in between his legs, and Sasuke wrapped them around his waist.

"Come on, baby, just fill me up," he whisper sang, and Gaara gave a short laugh. He gripped Sasuke's hips, positioned himself at his entrance, and slowly pushed inside. "Nn… ah! Gaara, it… hurts," he panted, as Gaara slowly pushed all the way in.

"The pain will go away. Savor it for now. I know it gets you hot," he said, and Sasuke blushed even deeper. "Just try not to scream," he advised, and pulled out, thrusting in again just as slowly.

"Nnn! Gaa… Gaara…" The redhead bit his lip, keeping a moan from escaping as he thrusted again, pleasure sizzling across his nerves.

"Gaara…" His voice was like a sigh. It was beautiful to Gaara. The whole situation was. They were being held hostage. They could very likely die here. They could be walked in on. The strangeness, the complete alienness, the way it felt so wrong and dirty… it served to excite Gaara. Here, on a dirty mattress, in the basement of a den of criminals and drug addicts, he was losing his virginity to a boy he'd met such a short time ago. How did he possibly cultivate such strong feelings for him already?

"Gaara!" he cried out, his fingernails digging into the redheads shoulders, and Gaara realized he was being a bit rough. "Oh… don't stop…th…thaaat," Sasuke moaned, throwing his head back and shivering when Gaara slowed. He smirked, and began to thrust harder, running his fingernails down Sasuke's chest. He pinched one dusky nipple and Sasuke moaned again, louder this time.

"Sasuke," Gaara said in a voice that was almost a moan and almost a sigh. He rammed into Sasuke harder, almost as hard as he could. He wanted to hear him scream…

"GAARA!" he shrieked, and arched his back violently as Gaara hit a spot inside him. He arched his back and bit his lip. Pleasure burst in a bright, white expansion across his mind. "GAARA!" he cried again, his fingernails digging in as he felt every muscle in his body tighten, then release as he came hard across their stomachs and chests.

"Sasuke!" he grunted, and came inside him, the way he tightened around his as he screamed pushing the redhead over the edge. "Sasuke…" he sighed, pulling out and collapsing beside him, panting. He wrapped his arm around the younger one, burying his face in his neck and moaning quietly. "I love you," he said before he even knew he meant to say it.

"I love you too, Gaara," he answered immediately, and Gaara felt like crying. "I love you forever. Nothing will happen to you. I'll protect you with my life…"

"Thank you…" he whispered, and felt the tears roll down his cheeks.

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Sakura Shoizu: They'll be fine. Like I'd hurt my two favorite characters!

fullmetalguitar: I update as fast as I can, usually. I know how it feels to wait forever for an update.

FangzofFire: I got that line from Dogma. Great movie.

J-RockGirl: What matters to me is that you are reading it. I do appreciate the reviews, though!


	15. Shot Down, Shoot Out

Shit guys, I'm sorry it's late.

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.

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---**Naruto's POV**---

It's raining. How fitting. I always thought that it would be raining on the day I died. Jiraiya always told me not to go looking for trouble, but he gave me this gun, incase trouble came looking for me. I didn't understand back when he first gave it to me. I was only ten. But he taught me how to use it, and we'd go down to the shooting range a lot. I got really good, and now all I can do is hope that I kept that skill.

It was like shooting with your hand. Like just imagining the gun was gone, and your hand was the weapon. Bang, bang, bang, then the target was full of three holes in the head. I liked seeing that; it meant that I was doing something right.

Now I'm standing outside the building that I've identified as the Akatsuki's headquarters. I'd realized that it was them who took Gaara, and Sasuke, and his brother. I'd seen that bandana on the man's head. You know them, the black ones with the red clouds. The man had been wearing one. So now I'm here.

There were no identifying marks on the building. It looked like an old, abandoned house and that's probably what it used to be. It was a two story building with all the windows boarded up. I sighed and looked down at the gun I was holding. _This is it,_ I thought, and ascended the steps up to the door. The extra clips I'd packed clinked together in my pocket. _Gaara…Sasuke…I'm coming for you._

---**Normal POV**---

The door opened slowly enough so that nobody noticed. They were all facing away from the door, with the exception of Zetsu and Itachi. Deidara was laughing and hugging Tobi; Sasori, Hidan and Kakuzu were gathered around them, smiling and talking. Itachi was sitting in a chair a ways away, and Kisame was gently running his fingers though the younger one's long, unbound hair. Zetsu was standing a ways away, looking dubiously at him. Naruto saw this and began wondering how he was going to go about his task.

He raised the gun and aimed at Hidan. _You… Was it you who took Sasuke? I'll bet it was. Motherfucker…_he thought, and his hand was full of thunder.

His shot hit the mark perfectly. The white haired man stood, then collapsed as the bullet entered his head. Deidara let go of Tobi and began to scream. It would have been comical if it hadn't been so serious. Naruto shifted his aim to the bewildered looking man the blonde had been embracing…Tobi. Naruto aimed, bit his lip, and fired again.

Tobi had been in the process of standing up. Now he slumped back, his feet rattling against the floor dramatically for a moment. Then he was still. "TOBI!" Deidara shrieked, and everyone turned towards the door. _Shit,_ Naruto thought, already feeling sick for killing two people he didn't even know. _I wasn't meant for this…_

Then he saw the gun in Zetsu's hand. He brought his own gun up, but was too late. The loud crash of the gun was followed by a screaming pain in Naruto's left leg. "FUCKER!" he shouted, and fired at the green haired man twice. Both shots found their mark: one in Zetsu's chest, the other in his right shoulder. The man gave a shrieky groan and collapsed, clutching at his shoulder, then at his chest.

"HE'S JUST A FUCKING KID! WASTE HIM!" Sasori screamed at the people, reaching for his own gun. Naruto turned, and fired. The redhead collapsed, screaming as he clutched his arm. The gun clattered to the floor as he released it. His upper arm had a large, bleeding wound in it now.

"SASORI!" Deidara screamed, his hands flying up to his face, digging furrows into his cheeks. "SASORI! NO! Oh, oh no… no no no no," he said, dropping to his knees beside him. "Sasori..!"

"I… I'm sorry!" Naruto said, bringing the gun up again. He tried to aim at Deidara, but couldn't. He instead turned to the last man with a gun: Kakuzu. A bullet was in his head before he could even finish drawing.

Naruto lowered the gun, breathing hard. He calmed slowly, but eventually heard Sasori's ragged breaths. Kisame was sitting on the arm of the chair docilely, an arm around the frightened Uchiha's shoulders. Deidara was sobbing into Sasori's chest, and Sasori was holding the blonde close. Naruto examined his injured leg, relieved to find that it had just been grooved. It still hurt like a son of a bitch, though.

"Where are they?" he asked, and Kisame turned to look at him. "Where are Sasuke and Gaara?"

"The basement," Kisame said, looking serenely at the boy who had wasted pretty much his entire gang. "Thank you."

"For what?" Naruto asked, bewildered.

Kisame sighed. "I never wanted to join this gang, and when I did, I couldn't leave. That is for what."

"I… I guess you're welcome," he said, blinking in amazement. "Where's the basement at?"

"It's down the… shit, I'll just go show you," Kisame said, standing up and removing his arm from Itachi's shoulders. The Uchiha gave a scared whimper, and Kisame gently kissed his brow. He turned and led Naruto down the hallway, then unlocked the door to the basement. "They're down there. Be careful on those stairs, with your hurt leg," he said, and Naruto nodded.

"Thanks, man. I owe you one." He grinned, and opened the basement door, thumping down the stairs. Kisame began to walk away, smirking. He began to chuckle when he heard Naruto's shriek of disgust. "SASUKE! GAARA! PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!"

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Review time!

Sabaku no Emi: I'm glad you liked it. XD

Fangz of Fire: Thanks! I can't wait to see what happens next, either!

Nine-Tailed Demon Fox: Of course it does. What, did you think it was all Meth that made people crazy and kill each other?

Fullmetalguitar: I like to make Sasuke uke because he looks so cute when someone's fucking him mercilessly 3


	16. A Moment's Reprieve

Thanks for all the positive reviews. I'm writing this chapter in an effort to cheer myself up. I'll let you know how it goes.

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Naruto stood before the couple sitting on the bed, leaning heavily on his uninjured leg. The gun was stuck in the waistband of his pants, the slip removed and stuck into his pocket. Gaara and Sasuke had been half dressed when the shooting had started, and when Naruto fired the first shot, Sasuke had jumped and clung to Gaara like a scared child during a thunderstorm.

When Naruto had come thumping down the stairs, they'd dressed all the in a rush. As a result, Sasuke was wearing his t-shirt backwards and Gaara's pants. They were all silent for a long moment, and then Gaara spoke up.

"Well?" he asked, raising a nonexistent eyebrow at the blonde. "Are you going to tell us what the fuck all the shooting was about?"

The blonde looked at Gaara for a moment, then dropped his gaze o the floor. "I had to do it, Gaara… I… I needed to protect you. Both of you. I…"

"Wait, Naruto. What?" Sasuke asked, looking at him sharply. "You didn't shoot Itachi, did you?"

"What! No! No, I'd never shoot him," Naruto exclaimed, bringing his hands up in front of him, as if to ward off Sasuke's anger and suspicion.

"And you didn't hurt Kisame?"

"No!"

"Good…" he breathed, relaxing back and unclenching the tight fists that hard formed when Naruto spoke to Gaara. "That's good."

They were silent for a long minute before Naruto spoke up again. "I… I killed a lot of them," he said quietly, swallowing hard. "There was blood… all over. I… I shot them. They fell down so fast, I… I saw some of their brains…" His eyes had taken a hollowish look, and Gaara sighed. He stood up and pulled his best friend into a tight hug.

"Naruto… there was nothing you could have done. If you hadn't killed them, they would have killed you. Trust me," he said, releasing the blonde. He sat down and pulled Naruto down beside him. "I want to tell you about something that happened to me a long time ago. Everyone in town talks about it, but none of them know for real…"

---Flashback---

"_Uh…Uncle Yashamaru?"_

"_You filthy demon… you killed my sister…"_

"_Yashamaru! Stop it! You're hurting me!"_

"_I'll kill you!"_

"_YASHAMARU! STOP IT!"_

"_I'LL KILL Y- uugh…" The blonde man dropped to the ground as Gaara stepped back in horror at what he'd just done. His uncle rolled halfway over, glaring heatedly at the young boy. Blood flowed from his mouth, and his hand came up to the knife sticking out of his ribs. Gaara had stabbed him in the chest and slashed sideways before realizing what he was doing. The blood from that wound quickly stained the white shirt he was wearing._

"_Yashamaru..!" the young boy cried in a screamy whisper, tears flowing down his cheeks. "Why?"_

"_You demon… killed my… sister… I never loved you! How could anyone…love a monster…like you?"_

"_Yashamaru…"_

---End---

"It was the first time I'd ever killed anyone. I didn't even mean to. He was just coming at me with a butcher knife. I saw this on the table, and I used it," Gaara said, pulling the knife out of his pocket and thumbing the button that brought the blade out. He tilted it one way, then the other, watching the light from the dirty bulb hanging from the ceiling reflect off of it. "He was the first person who ever made me feel like I wasn't just a monster, but in the end, I found out he hated me. It had all been an act."

"Gaara… I…" Naruto began, and the redhead held a hand up.

"No. I don't want apologies. Don't try to offer them. I'm not sorry for what I did. He was going to kill me. It was either kill him, or be killed _by_ him," he said, his voice as cold as it had been when Naruto had first met him. "I don't regret killing him, just as you shouldn't regret shooting those gang members upstairs. Now come on." He stood up and pulled his friend and lover to their feet. "Let's go see if any of them are still alive."

"Ah, I only just wounded one of them," Naruto said, and Gaara looked at him with cold curiosity.

"Why?"

"Well, he… he looked like you, Gaara. His hair," he said, blushing and looking away. He felt weak having only that lame excuse to offer.

The psychotic redhead smiled a little, his cold expression softening. "Naruto… that's very cute of you," he said, and the blonde looked up at him, blushing deeper.

"I am not cute!"

"Whatever," he said, leading the way up the stairs. He paused to pull Sasuke's pants up. "God, how do you stand these pants? They're so loose."

"Well excuse me for having fat legs, Mr. I-have-super-skinny-legs-look-at-me," Sasuke growled, wincing a little. "Your pants are smushing my legs!"

Gaara just "hmph"ed and continued up the stairs, leading them out into the war zone of a main room. He looked around at the assorted corpses, then at the injured redhead lying on the floor. He was currently trying to pry Deidara off of his chest, but when he noticed Naruto and the others, he reached for the gun he'd dropped.

"You shot me, you son of a bitch! Deidara, get off or hand me the fucking gun! I'm going to shoot his ass! I'm going to- ow!" He let out a harsh cry of pain when Gaara stomped hard on his wrist.

"You aren't shooting anyone. Ever again," he said, and took the switchblade back out of his pocket. He stabbed through the center of Sasori's palm, causing both the redhead and the older blonde to scream, the former in pain and the latter in horror.

"SASSY!" he shrieked, sitting up suddenly and recoiling in horror. Sasuke grabbed him by the hair and dragged him backwards as Kisame and Itachi watched with vague amusement.

"This is all fun, but we should call the police," the blue haired man said, standing up and helping the younger man to his feet. "They'll clean up the dead and tend to the wounded. And Sasori… if you tell the police that we were here, we'll tell the boss. And he will kill you, but not without torturing you first. Remember what happened to Tobi when he tried to leave. If the boss finds out you were taken down by a mere boy…" He chuckled darkly as Sasori's white, terrified face. "Well, I'm sure you can imagine." He turned to the other four. "We'll take Hidan's car. He always leaves his keys in the ignition."

---Later---

"Kisame… I just want to say, thank you," Naruto said quietly to the blue haired man. He was laying in a hospital bed after having the wound in his leg taken care of. They were having him stay overnight. Sasuke, Itachi and Gaara had already gone, but Naruto'd had Kisame stay behind for a moment. "I honestly thought you would have locked me down there and killed me."

The older man smiled faintly and mussed up his hair. "No problem, half-pint," he said, and Naruto smoothed his hair back down, glaring. Kisame just laughed and smiled wider. "I'll see you around, okay squirt? Don't worry about it. Just watch out for Sasori and Deidara. And take care of yourself! We'll come get you first thing in the morning. Have fun."

"Okay. Thanks, Kisame!"

"You can call me Kissy, if you want."

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Review response time!

Nine-Tailed Demon Fox: Okay, I didn't kill Sasori. I was gonna, but you said not to, so I didn't.

Fangz of Fire: Of course I didn't forget about Naru-chan! And things happen fast in stories. Otherwise, it'd just be boring!

Fullmetalguitar: I am glad that we are on the same page.

Egyptian.Mau.Neko: Kissy wouldn't do that!

J-Rock Girl: FINE. I WILL.


	17. Memories

Jeez guys, I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long. I've had a lot of stuff going on! In fact, I was GROUNDED!

Disclaimer: OMGWTFBBQ DON'T OWN DON'T SUE

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Naruto sat on the edge of the hospital bed, dressed and waiting for Kisame and Gaara. The painkillers the nurse had given him had done nothing to dull the pain in his leg; they served only to muddle his thoughts. He tugged at the hem of his bright orange Fox shirt and sighed. He found himself thinking back to the moment he'd first began shooting those gangsters.

He shuddered, thinking of all the blood. Of the way that the laughing man had fallen backwards. How there were chunks of white and mealy gray stuff in with the rust colored blood. He felt sick to his stomach remembering it. He willed the memories that had plagued him all of last night to go away, but they stubbornly stayed.

Shooting the redhead who resembled Gaara. Kisame stomping on his wrist, then stabbing his hand. The lost, scared look Itachi had during all of it. Sasuke, laying back on the bed, wearing nothing but a loose black t-shirt. Gaara, with that seductive look in his half-lidded green eyes. Gaara, his long pale legs stretched out as he leaned on one hand, the other caressing Sasuke's cheek, their lips so close together. Gaara, wearing only a right black shirt. Gaara, with his longish red hair a complete mess.

It wasn't surprising that Naruto was thinking about Gaara like that. He'd always known on some level that he was gay, and that he loved Gaara. He hadn't fully realized it until he'd seen him like that, with Sasuke. Of course he wasn't ready to be out yet; god no! But maybe, if Gaara hadn't gotten together with his old best friend and bitter rival, he might have been ready to tell that beautiful redhead just how he felt. How much he adored him, loved him, wanted him… there was no chance now. No chance at all with the two he loved most. He had to watch them together. It hurt… but God, did it hurt.

He was ashamed and disgusted to find himself wondering if he could convince Gaara to cheat on Sasuke with him. _That's awful. That… that's just wrong… I'd be no better than the motherfucker who killed my parents._ "My parents," he whispered, feeling tears well up in his eyes. He remembered the night so clearly. The night he'd found his parents on the living room floor…

--x--

_His father had still been alive. He was laying closest to the hall that six-year-old Naruto had come down. The chubby, pink-cheeked little boy had come toddling down the hall, wondering what all the crashing around was. He'd been asleep, but he though he heard someone scream._

_His mother had been dead. Even as the strange man hovered over her, she'd been dead. Maybe she'd been dead when the murdering stranger had begun. Naruto hoped so. He hoped she hadn't had to feel him invading her. He hoped his mother had been dead before that terrifying stranger began raping her._

_His father, however, was alive. Lying face down on the floor by the hall, he had still been breathing through the blood. He managed to look up when Naruto stopped in front of him, too terrified even to breathe. The remains of his father's left eye lay on his cheek like a gob of white jelly, obscuring the three deep cuts on his cheek. The other one was bared, and bore the same three cuts that looked like bloody whiskers. 'Run' was all he could manage to mouth, and then he collapsed, becoming still forever._

_Naruto found his voice again, and used it to scream as loud as he could. The man who had been on his mother was up in a flash, raking the zipper of his pants closed as he faced the small boy. Naruto screamed again, in pure terror, as the man grinned._

_In two long strides he was across the room, his hand over Naruto's mouth. "Hush, my little one. Just you hush now. Be so still and so quiet, you sweet little cully," he crooned. Naruto smelled his rank, fishy breath and tried to jerk away. He only succeeded in cracking the back of his head on the wall. He swooned against it with a hurt whimper, tears forming in his eyes and flowing down his round, pink cheeks._

"_Ohh, did baby hit his head?" the man cooed, removing his hand from the little boy's mouth. "I'm sorry. Look, I have a present for you!" He picked up the knife that lay on the floor, then brought it up to Naruto's face. "Look how shiny it is!" He brought it to the blonde child's cheek, grinning insanely. "Oh yes, very shiny indeed. The Kyuubi does so like his shiny toys."_

_Naruto was too terrified to move away when the long blade cut one mark, then two, then three into his cheek. All he could do was cry as he marked his other cheek the same way. Three long cuts on each side. Naruto felt the blood roll down his cheeks, along with the tears. It hurt terribly…_

"_There now! You look good enough to eat!" the man Naruto assumed was named Kyuubi said, and then laughed crazily. "Yep! Good… enough… to… eat!" He bared his teeth and brought his face close to Naruto's once more._

_It was then that the door banged open…_

_--_x_--_

…and Gaara walked into the room. "So you're awake already," he remarked as Naruto looked dumbly up at him. He smiled a little and helped Naruto to his feet. "How ya feelin'?"

"I'm alright," Naruto said, putting an arm around Gaara's shoulders. "I guess."

"You were thinking about your parents again." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah… how could you tell?"

"I'd recognize that 'why didn't I call for help?' look anywhere," the redhead stated, and Naruto grinned sheepishly.

"Am I really that obvious?"

"Yes. You are," he said, and Naruto pouted. Gaara just chuckled and put an arm around Naruto, helping him walk. "Let's get you home. Itachi has been running around all day, preparing you a huge dinner."

"Alright!" Naruto cheered, letting go of his friend. He wobbled for a second, then almost fell down. Gaara grabbed his arm and pulled him in close again.

"Usuratonkachi," he said lovingly, and Naruto scowled.

"Only Sasuke can call me that!"


	18. The Hardest Part of This is Leaving You

My readers are so sweet.

**Sasuke**: What do you mean, sweet?! THEY THREATENED TO RIP YOUR VOCAL CORDS OUT!!

So?

**Sasuke**: THAT IS NOT SWEET!!

Who knows, maybe it's a sign of affection in her country.

**Sasuke**: …

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto sat at the table, suddenly not hungry anymore. Was it jealousy that made his heart freeze like this? Sasuke and Gaara sat across from him. Sasuke had his hand on Gaara's knee.

'_Goddammit,'_ Naruto thought, staring down at the plate of purple mashed potatoes. Then he pushed away from the table, standing up. "I'm taking a walk," he said simply, trying not to look at Gaara or Sasuke. He turned and fled the room, slipping his shoes on and grabbing his coat on the way out.

Pulling the almost offensively orange coat on, he sighed. He knew it wasn't safe to be outside alone when a gang of drug addled psychos was looking for you, but… well, he did have his trusty switchblade. And he could always run really fast.

He was a small ways away from Sasuke's house when he heard running footsteps behind him. He turned, reaching for his weapon, but never made it. A strong set of arms encircled him, pulling him close and holding him tight.

Naruto blinked a couple times in surprise, then relaxed forward into his best friend's embrace. "Gaara," he mumbled quietly, closing his eyes and burying his face into Gaara's warm neck. It was pretty cold outside, and Gaara was so warm… he was always so warm.

"I'm sorry," the older boy said, gently stroking Naruto's longish spiky blonde locks.

"For what?"

"For… everything," he said vaguely, and Naruto frowned.

"That isn't very descriptive."

"I'm sorry for… Sasuke," the redhead clarified, and Naruto felt tears threaten suddenly.

"Don't-" he began, then cleared his throat, "don't be sorry. You… he… you should be together."

Gaara was silent, stroking Naruto's hair like he had on so many occasions.

"You two are perfect for each other. Quiet, serious guys who… who just look good," Naruto said, continuing silently, _'Black and red. You're both beautiful. I wish I could have you, Gaara.'_

"Naruto," Gaara said quietly. Naruto pulled away a little and looked up into his chilling blue-green eyes. "You love me, don't you?"

"Wh… what?"

"You love me," he repeated. "I can tell. The way you look at me… I didn't recognize it before because I'd never had that look directed at me. Now, though, ever since I saw Sasuke giving me that look, I realized it originally came from you."

The redhead sighed and looked away. He looked so vulnerable without the thick black lines around his eyes. Naruto put his head on Gaara's chest, listening to his heartbeat. God, but he was warm…

"I do," Naruto mumbled before he was even aware that he was going to respond. "I do love you. I'm sorry…"

"For what? You didn't do anything. You can't help who you love," Gaara said in a hash, dismissive voice. Then it softened, and he said, "I'm sorry. I don't know what to do…"

"Neither do I," Naruto said, feeling like crying again. "If you leave Sasuke for me, he'll be crushed and he'll hate us both… if you stay with him, I'll be sad but…" He slowly pulled away from his best friend. "Gaara, stay with Sasuke."

"But-"

"No. Don't argue. Just… just stay with him," he said, pulling away. "I'm sorry," he apologized one last time, then turned and walked away. Gaara stood there, watching him go, wishing with every breath that he'd never met Sasuke Uchiha.

-------------------------------------------------

Review response time!

**Wolf-Flame**: -pokes back-

**Kiyomiko**: Your threats are well received and responded to duely. Enjoy the chapter?

**Ookami no Azari**: Fine, I WILL!

**fullmetalguitar**: Are you okay?!

**CherryColaLola**: DON'T CRY!!


	19. Give Me A Shot To Remember

Chapter two of a two-parter update. It feels good to be writing again.

------------------------------------

Naruto sat in the playground, on a swing, as he had so many times in the past. He ached for Gaara. He'd turned him down. He'd had him right there, and he could have given in to his greed and told him to leave Sasuke. He could have had him… and yet he turned away and left.

Why had he done that…? It wasn't just because Sasuke would hate him for it. He knew that wasn't it. Sure, he cared about the dark haired boy, but… but dammit! He loved Gaara! More than anything! So why couldn't he just have said "leave him"?

He shook his head, his elbows resting on his knees. God, this hurt. He'd turned the one person he still loved away, and was now all on his own. "Fuck this," he growled, standing up and walking away. The abandoned swing went back and forth in small, lonely arcs as Naruto left.

A few minutes later, Naruto was at the bridge, standing on the railing, watching the water below rush by. It was a cold and lonely night, with grey skies as the sun slowly set. There was no sun on this Autumn evening. There would be no sun for Naruto ever again…

His hands hung loosely at his sides, the gun he'd used to murder most of the Akatsuki held in one. He knew what he was going to do. He was going to jump, and then shoot. He'd be dead either way. Dead as dogshit.

He brought it up and stuck the cold metal barrel in his mouth, like some kind of obscene lollipop. His hand trembled. He was cold, he was scared, and he was afraid. The blonde wondered if this was right. He debated whether to step down or not… He settled for taking the gun out of his mouth. He wouldn't have it in his mouth. He'd just have it up against his head. That would work, too.

His finger trembled on the trigger. _'I'm going to die,' _he thought dully, not really caring anymore. His dearest love was with his old friend. He doubted they'd miss him. Why would they? He'd just be an interloped in their relationship. They'd be better off without him. This was for the best…

Then why couldn't he just jump? _'Just boing, bam, splat and it's over,' _he told himself, his grip on the gun tightening. _'Do it, goddammit! DO IT!'_ He couldn't. He sighed and lowered the gun, then stepped down from the railing, watching the river.

"Fucking damn you, TAKE MY LIFE!" he shouted down at the water, his hands on the railing. "KILL ME, MOTHERFUCKER!"

"Don't mind if I do, you pig-raping shitcunt," someone growled from behind him, and the something cold was being pressed against his head. Naruto grew very still and quiet, knowing who it was.

Deidara. The blonde from the Akatsuki. They'd found him. Oh joy. "Fine then," he said, tears choking his voice once more. "Fine. Fucking shoot me. I deserve it. I deserve to die. Kill me."

"Oh, I will. But I ain't gonna shoot you in the HEAD. I'm gonna plug you someplace it'll hurt a lot more. Turn around," he ordered, and Naruto complied. Then there was thunder, and a bolt of agony ripped through him, causing his to cry out. His stomach…!

'_Oh god, my stomach, he shot me, he shot me in the guts, oh god look at all that BLOOD!'_ he thought weakly, falling to the ground and clutching the round hole in his jacket. Blood had spread out, staining his jacket. Now it poured over his fingers. He tried to speak but couldn't. Black flowers were blooming in front of his eyes. He heard Deidara laughing, and then he was unconscious.

---------------------------------------

It's short, but I wanted it to be a separate chapter. Sorry!


	20. Ring Around the Ambulance

Man, zoooooooom.

------------------------------

'**_He's in trouble,'_** a voice said, from the middle of Gaara's head. It was a thought heard in another voice – it was an actual other voice from inside his head.

"What?" he mumbled, turning his head slightly. He wondered vaguely what was going on.

'**_Don't TALK to me, numbnuts,'_** it admonished, and Gaara scowled.

'_Then do I just think to you?'_

'**_Yeah. Okay, listen to me because we only have a short amount of time,'_** it said, its voice low and commanding. Gaara listened. **_'Naruto. He's in trouble. He's been shot, and if you don't want him to die you'll get your skinny, pale ass to the bridge. But you might want to call an… shit. What is it…? A… a bamblance.'_**

'_NARUTO'S BEEN SHOT?!' _He was out of bed, throwing clothes from the floor on, and putting on a pair of flipflops. He thundered down the stairs, grabbed the phone, and dialed 9-1-1. He was figeting with everything within his reach.

'**_Gaara, let me,'_** he heard the voice say again, and he felt the cold, steely feeling run through him again. Then it was taking him over and he tried to move an arm but couldn't. **_'Gaara, it's okay. Let me.'_** He did.

"**_Hello, this is an emergency. A dire one. I need an ambulance at the bridge, the Shuya bridge going over the river. Yes, someone is injured. He's been shot in the stomach,_**"****the new voice said, coming out of Gaara's mouth instead of his head. "**_Are you listening to me? YES, I need an ambulance, at the Shuya bridge, over the river, because someone's been SHOT in the STOMACH!_**"

'_Hey, are they coming?'_

'**_I don't know. Wait… okay, yes,' _**the voice said, and Gaara sighed internally.

"**_Yes, yes, yes! What are you, stupid? GET AN AMBULANCE THERE BECAUSE HE'S GOING TO DIE!_**" With that, he hung up, and Gaara felt that steely coldness drain away. He could move his arms again. He stood there for a moment, then rushed for the door, grabbed his jacket, and bolted out the door, towards the bridge.

'_Naruto..!'_

--X--

He arrived 10 minutes before the paramedics, but was too late to catch Deidara. He dropped to his knees beside Naruto, calling his name and crying.

"Oh my god, what have they done to you?! There's so much BLOOD!" he cried, lifting Naruto and cuddling his head to his pale chest. "Oh, Naruto, don't die. Don't you DARE die. I need you. I love you. I love you more than anything. Don't die. Oh, God, oh, God, oh please God…"

'**_He'll be okay,'_** the cold voice inside him said, but Gaara shook his head.

"He's dying!"

'**_But the ambulance is coming and the Kyuubi has finally gotten the balls to step forward in the boy,'_** that voice said, as if speaking to a dumb child.

"Huh… who?"

'**_The Kyuubi. Listen to me. I'm… I guess you'd say I'm your split personality. I can take you over but I don't like to because it's weird. The Kyuubi is Naruto's split, but she doesn't have the guts to take over the boy – only to occasionally give him courage. It's like how I calm you and make you strong,'_** it explained, and Gaara nodded solemnly.

"So you're me, but only not."

'_**Not really. I'm just IN you. A part of you, but still a separate part. I'm from something else. You wouldn't understand.'**_

"So what are you? Who are you?"

'**_My name is Shukaku. Now attend to the boy,'_** he said, and that was all. Gaara held Naruto's pale form close, trembling as he held back tears.

"Naruto, I love you," he said, and then the whoop of the ambulance's siren brought him back to himself. He gently lay Naruto down and stood, watching for the vehicle.

-------------------------------------

omg short.


	21. I Would Drive On To The End With You

It's been a while, hasn't it? I remember it like yesterday... I'm sorry I've been away so long.

Here's your fix. I love you all.

* * *

"Will he be okay?"

"How should I know?!"

"You don't have to yell at me!"

"Well I'm sorry but in case you hadn't noticed, I'm fucking UPSET!"

"Fuck you! You're not the only one who's goddamn upset! I'm fucking upset too!"

"Fuck you too! Get out of my fucking face! I don't need you screaming at me right now!"

There was a hard, flat noise, and a soft cry. Then somebody was stomping out the door, and slamming it.

Naruto's eyes fluttered open. He'd heard all of that, lying still with his eyes shut. There was a dull throbbing in his stomach, but it wasn't painful. It was more like someone was repeatedly hitting him repeatedly with a pool noodle in his stomach, which had jsut recieved a healthy dose of novocain. At least, that's what it seemed like to him. His head felt fuzzy, as did his tongue. He turned his head with much effort and looked to the person sitting beside him.

Gaara. He was leaning forwards, his elbows propped on his knees. One hand was up and shading his eyes, but his entire body was trembling and tears streamed down his cheeks, one of which was a bright, angry red, like his hair. Had somebody slapped him? Had that been what that flat cracking noise was? The blonde opened his mouth and said in a voice that was barely a whisper:

"Gaa...ra...?"

The effect of those words was galvanistic. Gaara snapped upright, sitting straight and staring at Naruto. Tears still ran down his cheeks. He made a move as though he was going to throw his arms around the blonde, but then sat back. He stood up, shifted a little, fiddled with something on the end table, and then sat back down. He cleared his throat, looking away from Naruto as he wiped his eyes, then said, "Naruto... I'm so glad you're alive."

"What... happened...?"

"You were shot. By an Akatsuki thug. I... I was so scared for you. I..." He shook his head, beginning to cry again. "I'm sorry."

"Don't..." he sighed, then shut his eyes again. He thought for a moment, then asked, "Where's Sasuke?"

His words made Gaara jump; had the redhead thought he'd fallen back asleep? But no, that couldn't be it, because he was shaking harder now, and he was crying again.

"He... he just left..." Gaara said softly.

"Was it you... arguing...?"

Gaara was quiet a long moment. "Yeah," he said finally. "Yeah, it was. We... Naruto, I... I broke up with Sasuke."

"What?!" Naruto glared at Gaara, then coughed hard. Gaara looked worried, but then Naruto was berating him. "Why did you do that? After I told you to stay with him? Why did you leave him?"

"Because I finally realized that, though he is very sweet and I care for him very much, I love you. For a long time, you were the only reason I was alive. But it's not just because I feel like I need you; it's because I _do_ need you. When I knew you were dying, I... It felt like my insides were all shattered. I wasn't scared. I was terrified. I realized that if you died, so would I. I need you, Naruto. I love you," he said softly, and then he leaned forwards and pressed his lips to Naruto's.

The blonde boy was startled for a moment. He then let his eyes slip shut once more, and he reached up to gently caress Gaara's cheek. He drifted off back into darkness with the other boy's taste still on his lips, and in the darkness, he dreamed of the redhead.


	22. Missing ::The End::

The obituary stared off of the page like an accusation, printed in stark, black, shameless letters. Wep spots on the page from the tears that dripped down onto it made it a little more bearable to look at, but no... No, this wasn't right. This shouldn't have happened. Everything was wrong...

"...the young man was found under the bridge..."

It wasn't fair. It was just mean; why was he dead? It was all his fault. He began crying harder now, the words on the page blurring.

"...died of blood loss from an injury to the chest..."

"...it is unclear as to whether it was an accident or suicide..."

"...survived by his brother, Uchiha Itachi..."

The arms around him were shaking, too. They were shaking so hard, even though they were caked with tacky, drying blood.

"Naruto... Naruto, I'm so sorry... I didn't know he would... I didn't think..." The voice was lost in tears, and that was also wrong, also mean. Gaara shouldn't have to cry. It wasn't right for Gaara to cry, and it was just mean for Gaara to have to cut himself. It wasn't right, goddammit! It was bad! It was...

"My fault," he whispered, and the shaking arms tightened around him.

"Naruto, no..."

"My fault. It's all my fault," he said, a bit louder now. "I'm sorry, Gaara... It's my fault... I... I stole you from him. He was so happy... so happy with you. He wanted you and I took you away from him..."

"Naruto, please...!"

"No... Gaara, I'm sorry," he said, pulling away and standing up. Tears still ran down his marked cheeks. Those shaking arms fell away easily enough, and though he shut the door behind him, he could still hear the redhead's sobbing.

--X--

Months passed, and still Gaara didn't give up looking.

"Have you seen him? He's about yea high, blonde, has scars on his cheeks... His name's Uzumaki Naruto."

But every time, they shook their head, gave their apologies, sent him on his way. Every bar, grocery store, police station.

But he didn't stop hoping.

One day he would find Naruto. One day he would find him and bring him back. It would be okay, then. Everything would be okay.

So he slept under bridges, in parks, in bus stations; wherever was warm and dry. He bummed food, begged for money, and prayed for some sign of the blonde boy he loved, the blonde boy who was his last tie to life, to the world. He would never give up hope of finding him.

He lay down under a tree tonight, pulling Naruto's coat over himself and thinking, _"Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'll find him. I know I will. Naruto... hold on, I'm coming."_

_**(The End)  
**_

* * *

Yep. That's it. That's the end.

But not quite. That's the end of THIS story. But my brain is working on the sequel.

"Stay Away" is the tentative title, and it will be all about Gaara looking for Naruto, and Naruto running away.

But it's not quite as simple as that, really.

You'll have to wait to find out more, though, and I'm very sorry but my brainworms are not churning out the ideas as well as they used to.

I hope you'll read it when I finally get off my ass and work on it.


End file.
